


Grey Area

by LadyFogg



Series: Ryan & Mantis Series [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angry Sex, Angst, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff, Hate Sex, Language, Light Bondage, Love/Hate, Mad King Ryan, NSFW, Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Sex, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Smut, Superpowers, Telekinesis, Telepathic Bondage, Violence, superhero au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-17
Updated: 2015-03-05
Packaged: 2018-03-13 11:05:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 53,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3379214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyFogg/pseuds/LadyFogg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You protect the city, and he tries to destroy it. But when his interest towards you becomes more than just curiosity, you find not only your morals tested, but your sanity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

For some reason, everyone is always asking you to take off your mask. 

They seem to not understand the point. Superheroes wear masks. And though you would never call yourself a ‘superhero’ per say, everyone else does. It’s no use fighting them. You try constantly and it never changes. So ‘superhero’ it is. Well, Mantis specifically. Again, not your choice. You wear a green jacket one time…

You’re currently patrolling the city, keeping to the shadows as you always do. You’re not really the “saving the world” superhero type. You leave that to X-Ray, Vav and Mogar, “the Lads”, as they like to call themselves.

You focus on the streets. The simple city-wide crises. You don’t have an arch-nemesis and in fact, most of the good deeds you do go unnoticed. It’s how you prefer it. You don’t help people for the glory or the money, you do it because it’s the right thing to do. But, those few people who do know of your existence always ask you who you are. Every time, without fail. You’re always quick with a one liner or a “Don’t worry about it”. But it’s still annoying.

You sit on the edge of a building, watching the streets below carefully. It’s quiet tonight.

You see a man on his cellphone, hurrying across the street without looking. A taxi rounds the corner and you lift your hand, slowing the car down just enough so it misses the man. The driver and the pedestrian don’t even notice. 

You have to admit, you really lucked out in the powers department. Telekinesis may seem boring to some, but you enjoy it. The how you got your powers isn’t important. That’s usually the second question: was it a super serum? Radiation? Mutation? You never answer. The important thing is that they are permanent and you’re still developing them. You’ve only recently learned to make yourself hover and it still takes a lot out of you.

It’s super fun though.

You hear police sirens in the distance and get to your feet with a sigh. Duty calls. You pull up the hood of your jacket and begin to run across the roof tops towards the sound.

Everyone insists you wear a cape. You saved a couple of publicists awhile back and they tried to have you hire them. It didn’t work out. You prefer a dark colored, leather jacket with a hood, and usually black leggings and sturdy boots. When you’re chasing down a criminal, you’d rather be comfortable than flashy.

The mask was a gift. It covers around your eyes down your nose. You thought it was silly, considering it really doesn't hide much. But you appreciate the gesture, so you wear it. You had to make adjustments so it fit your face properly, however, the coloring is really nice. Various shades of green make swirls through black.

You don't see the point to a mask because you don't have an identity to protect. You're Mantis. End of story.

You reach the edge of the roof and hover across to the next one, just as the police cars come barreling around the corner. Looks like they are chasing someone. You lift your hands towards the black sedan and concentrate on slowing the car down. You can see the driver inside furiously trying to step on the gas, but you control the car now and you make them come to a screeching, but safe halt. The police cars surround the vehicle and you watch carefully as they remove the suspect and handcuff him.

That one was another simple one.

Nothing else seems to be going on, so you decide to do one more patrol before heading home.

You live on the outskirts of town, in an old farmhouse you renovated yourself. The city pays you well for your duty and you pour it all into your home. It’s your haven and the one place you spend the most time. You want to make sure it’s comfortable and has everything you need.

You walk across roof tops until the buildings begin to get further and further apart. When the line of rooftops ends, you climb down a fire escape to an alley way. You turn to make your way to the street when you hear a noise behind you.

Immediately on guard, you spin around, but it’s just a group of men going into one of the buildings. At first you make a move to go on your way, but then you notice they all have pistols strapped to their belts. You’re instantly on guard, but they don’t notice you. You make your way over as the men disappear through a metal door, and you manage to stop said door from closing.  

You enter the building, and find yourself in a back hallway. There is barely any light and it takes a moment for your eyes to adjust. The last of the men is just rounding a corner, so you move in that direction. However, as you round the corner yourself, you walk right into someone.

“I’m sorry,” you say instantly, reaching out to grab the person as they stumble, hoping you can stop them from falling backwards. Strong arms come around you to prevent the same thing. Immediately you realize it’s not the same man you are following.

You find yourself staring into a pair of incredibly piercing blue eyes.

“Hello there,” this new man says, his voice deep and smooth. It has an unexpected effect on you and your mind goes blank.

“Oh, hi,” you manage to say. You quickly remember yourself and take a step back. His hands drop from your waist. You forgot they were there to begin with. Your eyes shoot past him, but there is no sign of anyone else in the hallway.

“Is there a problem, Miss?” he asks, looking over his shoulder.

“I followed a group of men with guns,” you tell him, taking another step back. You have business to attend to. “If you could step outside so I can search the building it would be safest.”

The man raises his eyebrow and you try to ignore the fact that you are suddenly very aware at how handsome he is. It’s an odd thought, considering you don’t typically tend to notice such things about people. “There’s no need, Miss,” he says. “I own this building. Those men were my personal body guards.”

You narrow your eyes at him. “Really?” you ask, deadpanned. That’s convenient. “So you won’t mind if I take a look around?”

The man seems to be sizing you up. His eyes roam your face, lingering on your hood and mask. He extends his hand towards you. “Ryan Haywood,” he says. “CEO of Haywood Airlines International.”

“Great, nice to meet you,” you say, not accepting his hand. You don’t mean to be rude, but in a world where anyone can have super powers, you’re very careful about who you touch. You never know what a touch can do. Nothing happened when he had his hands on your waist, but touching him with your ungloved hand could be dangerous. “Mr. Haywood, may I look around?”

“Well,” Ryan says, shoving his hands in the pockets of his tailored pants. “You’re not a police officer, so you don’t have a warrant. This _is_ private property.”

“I’m covered under the Mask Law, 42B,” you recite. “Any Mask can enter and search a private or commercial residence so long as there is probable cause. I witnessed several armed men enter the premises. I am well within my rights to search this property.”

Ryan is silent for a few moments. You can tell he’s processing your words and the situation. His eyes never break contact with yours. “Of course,” he says eventually. He steps to the side and extends his hand. “Please, feel free Miss.”

“Mantis,” you correct. “And I would prefer if you’d lead.”

A smirk crosses his face, and for some reason it makes you blush. Thankfully the hood hides most of your face and he can’t see. He nods towards you before he begins to walk the rest of the hallway. You follow several paces behind, your hands raised slightly, just in case.

“I must admit,” Ryan says as you reach the door. “You don’t look like the typical Masks I’ve had contact with.”

“Is that so?” you ask. “Interact with many Masks, do you?”

“My fair share,” Ryan says, but does not elaborate.

“So what is an airline CEO doing in this part of town?” you question.

“I own several businesses throughout the city,” Ryan explains. “I prefer to have site tours once a month.”

“And are you always this armed?” you inquire.

“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Ryan says. “Considering the crime in this city. You can’t be too careful.”

The hair rises on the back of your neck and you narrow your eyes at him. You can’t put your finger on it, but there is something...off about him. “No you can’t,” you say softly.

The tour of the building proves to be useless. The men you saw are spread out at various exits and entrances, standing guard. Ryan is nothing but a gentleman and escorts you throughout the entire building until you’re satisfied. Well, you’re not really satisfied. You just don’t have any reason to keep searching. When he leads you to the front entrance, you turn to him and give him a courteous nod. “Thank you for your cooperation.”

“It was a pleasure, Mantis,” he says. He doesn’t extend his hand this time for you to shake. He remembers you didn’t accept it last time.

“Have a good evening, Mr. Haywood,” you say.

He holds the door open for you and you walk out onto the street. The whole situation still has you feeling uneasy, and though you didn’t find anything incriminating or illegal, you decide you’re going to keep an eye on Mr. Haywood.

You make your way to where your car is parked and tiredly climb in. As soon as you start the vehicle, a call comes in through the dash. You answer. “Hello?”

“Alright, here’s the thing,” Lindsay says, sounding annoyed. “I can’t really stay behind and be your backup _if you take your earpiece out all the time._ ”

You wince. “Sorry, but it bothers me and throws off my concentration,” you say, putting the car into drive and peeling out of the parking lot.

“I don’t know why you spent so much money on this high tech surveillance system of the city if you don’t let me use it to help you,” she says.

“You use it all the time,” you tell her, chuckling.

“Yeah, but I can’t tell you what I’m seeing because you don’t wear your fucking earpiece.”

“Okay, _Mom_ ,” you say sarcastically.

“You’re so in trouble when you get home, young lady,” Lindsay says in her best “mom” voice.

“Speaking of home,” you say. “You should go to yours. It’s late. Go see your husband.”

“Eh, he’s taking out a death robot on twelfth,” Lindsay says. You can practically hear her shrug. “All though...this does mean the Xbox is free. Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow. Going home.”

You chuckle again and shake your head lovingly at your best friend. “Bye, Lindsay.”

The call ends and you’re left with your own thoughts. Ryan Haywood comes to mind again and your slight smile fades. There’s nothing wrong with hiring armed guards, but you can’t shake the feeling that there was something more going on. That meeting was too random to be natural. You just happen to go into an alley where men just happen to be armed? Part of you wonders if the meeting was staged somehow. If that’s the case you could have walked right into a trap. You need to be more careful.

You have some research to do when you get home. If the CEO of Haywood Airlines International is involved in anything illegal, you’re more than happy to put a stop to it. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Image courtesy of helegad.tumblr.com

Lindsay is gone by the time you get home. 

As soon as you safely lock the door, you turn on your defenses and collapse against the wall. Your body is shaking and you need food to restore yourself. That’s one thing that annoys you about your powers, you’re always starving by the end of the day. You draw your hood back from your face and unzip your jacket, letting it fall to the floor. Your mask comes off next and you rub the spots where the rubbery material irritated your skin.

You push yourself off the wall and make your way out of the back mud room into the kitchen. There’s a plate covered with tin foil sitting on the table. Lindsay must have gotten bored waiting for you to get back. You’re grateful. You don’t mind cooking, but you’re exhausted and the less work you have to put into your meal, the better.

You carry the platter of chicken quesadillas into the living room and plop down in your desk chair. You’ve turned the room into the nerve center of your operation. Computers and monitors are everywhere you look, except for the large worktable in the corner and a loveseat and squishy armchair. You take a glance at your monitors, bringing up the traffic cameras to keep an eye on the city. You bite into a quesadilla before pushing your chair across the room to your table.

You wipe your hands on a rag before gingerly picking up the tool you had crafted. The shield is smooth to the touch and it seems the black paint has dried. You slide it onto your arm to test the weight. Getting out of the chair, you walk around for a bit, testing your balance and movement with the shield. It doesn’t hinder you, and it would make great cover if you’re too focused on barriers elsewhere. You take the shield off your arm and place it on the floor.

Gingerly, you stand on the surface, finding your footing before focusing on levitating the shield instead of yourself. You find it easier than hovering and given enough space you’re sure you can actually fly on it. Using your telekinesis on the shield will save you energy in the long run since it’s smaller than you are. It also gives you an offensive weapon if the situation calls for it.

You put the shield back on the table, drop into your chair and slide back over to your monitors. Munching on another quesadilla, you start your search on Ryan Haywood.

As the computer processes, you finish your dinner. Now that your stomach’s full however, your eyes begin to droop and you yawn loudly. You decide to let the computer do it’s thing while you get some sleep. You can go through the information in the morning. It’s no use trying to read when you can barely keep your eyes open. Dragging yourself out of your chair, you make your way to your bedroom. You take off your clothes as you do, leaving a trail of items in the hallway.

The window is open and a cool breeze makes you shut it tightly. You drop into bed clad only in your underwear. The coldness of the sheets makes you shiver so you burrow yourself under the comforter. Usually after such a long day, sleep comes to you swiftly. But tonight it doesn’t.

Your eyes close, your breathing slows down, but your brain won’t stop mulling over the events of the day. Bright blue eyes keep coming to mind and you huff in annoyance. You’ve come across many handsome men and women in your time as a Mask. Why Ryan Haywood is sticking out in your mind is beyond you.

You pull your pillow over your head and eventually fall into an uneasy sleep.

Hours later, you’re awoken by loud music coming from the living room. Sunlight is streaming through your windows and you mumble angrily as you notice it’s passed eleven. You rarely sleep in late, but your powers have been wiping you out lately. You pull on an oversized t-shirt and stumble out of your bedroom, rubbing the sleep from your eyes.

The music is Lindsay’s doing. She sings along as she works on your console. Sometimes you regret teaching her how to get past your defenses.

“Rise and shine,” she says.

You make a grumpy face. “Yeah, yeah, I’m up,” you mumble.

“And you forgot your pants,” Lindsay points out.

“I didn’t forget,” you tell her, pushing your messy hair out of your face. “Pants are for chumps.”

She tosses you a paper bag, which you catch easily. “Bagel. Everything, with veggie cream cheese. Coffee is in the kitchen.”

You reach into the bag, a little less grumpy. “You’re too good to me,” you say before taking a huge bite. You drop into a second desk chair and make your coffee float from the kitchen to your outstretched hand. You’re too tired to get up and get it.

“I know,” Lindsay says, shooting you a grin. “Question: why do you have information on someone named Ryan Haywood?”

You push your chair over, taking another bite of your bagel. “Following up on a lead,” comes the muffled response from your full mouth.

“Classy.”

“I try.”

“What kind of lead?” Lindsay asks, clicking through the articles on the CEO. “Eye candy related?”

You fight the blush that seems to come to your cheeks every time you think about the business man. “No, of course not,” you say. You take a sip of your coffee to buy you a second. “I met him yesterday and the whole situation was strange. Just wanted to check up on him.”

“I’m sure you did,” Lindsay says, letting out a low whistle.

“You are a married woman,” you scold, nudging her with your elbow. You take another sip of your coffee.

“Yeah, but you’re not,” she says, raising her eyebrows at you. “And it’s okay to have fun every now and then.”

“No thanks,” you say. “Not with him at least.”

“Why not?” Lindsay asks, shuffling through the articles some more. “Look at all this charity work he’s done. He’s rich. He owns over twenty businesses right in the city and, for some reason, a small dairy farm in the country. He’s handsome. Did he flirt with you?”

You purposely don’t answer the question, and instead busy yourself with your bagel.

Lindsay gives you a look, “Mantis…”

“No, he didn’t flirt with me,” you say.

“Even if he did you probably wouldn’t realize it,” Lindsay jokes.

“Thanks a lot,” you say in a flat tone. “Can we talk about something else?”

She knows you well enough by now not to push it. She sighs and changes the subject. “What’s the plan for today?”

You swallow a bite of your bagel before answering. “More patrols I think,” you say. “Last night was really quiet, and I doubt there’s someone crazy enough to do something in the middle of the day-” Alarms start sounding and you groan loudly. “Really?”

“You jinxed it,” Lindsay points out, turning to the monitors focused on the city.

“Yeah, yeah,” you say, huffing in annoyance. You take another gulp of coffee before leaving the room to get dressed, while Lindsay tries to find the source of the alarm. It only takes you a few minutes and you’re soon at her side again, picking up your shield. “What do we have?”

“Bank robbery it seems,” Lindsay says. “And it’s a big one.”

“Anyone else on the scene?” you ask.

Lindsay shakes her head. “Nope,” she says. “How fast do you think you can get there?”

You hold up your new shield and shrug. “We’ll see.” You make sure your mask is in place before you take the last sip of your coffee. “Wish me luck.”

“Go get the bad guys,” Lindsay says, sending you off with a wave.

As soon as you're outside, you stand on your shield and take a deep breath. If your training and calculations are correct, you should be able to make it to the city with no problem. Seconds later you’re rocketing through the air and you can’t help the grin on your face. You crouch low and it makes you move faster. The speed isn’t too taxing on your abilities and you don’t feel any strain, unlike when you hover.

You reach the bank quicker than you would have with a car.

You come to a halt outside the building and hop off the shield. “Everyone back up,” you tell the crowd that has gathered, sliding the shield onto your arm. You walk up to the bank doors and peer inside. There are several men in ski masks waving guns and shoving money into bags. You’re inside the building in an instant and when the men notice you, it’s already too late. Their guns shoot out of their hands and you throw your shield, knocking at least three out at once.

“Stealing is wrong and waving guns at people is rude,” you say with a smirk. You dismantle the guns in midair and scatter the pieces. The less projectiles, the better. The remaining four men advance on you. You throw down another blast, but one of them dodges it in time. He tries to throw a punch at you, but you’re well versed in hand-to-hand combat.

You make quick work of all the men, and they all end up unconscious in a heap on the floor. Once you’re sure they aren’t getting up anytime soon, you press the talk button on your bluetooth. “Lindsay, how far away are the cops?”

No answer.

You frown and try again, but the earpiece is dead. It shouldn’t be. It was fully charged when you left.

A slow clap starts behind you and you spin around instantly.

“I have to admit,” Ryan says as he steps into view. “That was pretty impressive. You got here quicker than I expected you to.” He’s no longer dressed in a suit, but a plaid kilt and a form fitting suit jacket and tie. A gold crown rests on his head. The absurdity of his outfit is not lost on you.

“I’m glad I trusted my instincts,” you say with a glare. You make a move to step towards him, but he raises his finger and shakes his head.

“Not a good idea,” he says.

Red lights appear on your chest and arms and you swear. Snipers. Awesome.

“Really? You would shoot me over a bank robbery?” you ask.

“Nah,” Ryan says, waving his hand dismissively. “It’s mostly for incentive. I needed a way to talk to you without you trying to come after me, or using your powers on me. Wasn’t sure what they were until you took out my men. Telekinesis, right? Just so you’re aware, if anything happens to me, they’ll shoot.”

You glare at him, but your eyes dart to the innocent citizens in the bank. 

“Oh don’t worry, I won’t harm them,” he says. “Again, just here to talk to you.”

“Why? What do you want with me?” you ask immediately.

A smirk crosses his face and he takes a few steps closer to you. “Mmmmm, so many things,” he all but purrs.

Your face grows hot and if your mask didn’t cover your cheeks, he’d be able to see your blush. He probably still can, if his widening smirk is any indication. You should have put your hood up. Too late now. “Elaborate.”

Ryan raises an eyebrow. “Oh I don’t think you want me to,” he says, his eyes shining with mischief, and promise. “But, I will say, you intrigue me. When we met the other night, I was mostly toying with you because I love giving Masks the runaround. But you didn’t fall for my usual charms like they have in the past. You have deep seated morals. I look forward to testing them.”

“Why?” you demand again.

Ryan shakes his head and touches a finger to your lips. It takes all your willpower not to jerk away, less you receive a bullet in the chest. “Now where is the fun in it, if I just tell you right away?”

He’s so close you could headbutt him. You wonder if you can fling him across the room and still have time to throw up a barrier before the snipers take their shots. You don’t want to take the risk. Apparently, he seems to know what you’re thinking.

“I wonder,” he says. “Can you use your powers on me and still have time to protect yourself? Why don’t we test it?”

He grabs your upper arms and instinctively you send him flying across the room. You’re able to throw up a barrier, but not before two shots make it through. You manage to move so one grazes you, but the second lodges in your right upper arm. Sirens sound outside and you drop to the ground, holding the barrier up as best as you can.

“See, I knew you could do it,” Ryan says, swiftly getting to his feet. He dusts himself off. “Looks like my time is up. I’ll see you around, Mantis. It’s been a pleasure.”

“I know who you are,” you say through clenched teeth, clutching your wounded limb. “It won’t be long before the authorities come for you, Haywood.”

“Believe it or not, you and I are a lot alike, Mantis,” Ryan says over his shoulder as he walks away. “This identity is my real one. Call me the Mad King. I look forward to our next meeting.”

He strolls out of view just as the police swarm through the front door.


	3. Chapter 3

“What the fuck was that?!” Lindsay exclaims as soon as you get home.

You practically collapse against her as the blood loss makes your head spin. She helps you into the living room. “I have no fucking clue,” you admit.

“How bad is it?” Lindsay asks.

“The bullet is still inside,” you say through clenched teeth. “Would have removed it myself, but had to save my energy to get home.”

“Manual extraction it is,” Lindsay says. She helps you onto the loveseat in the corner of the living room and rushes off to get the first aid kit. You carefully remove your jacket, hissing in pain as blood drips down your arm. Lindsay is going to have to cut your shirt sleeve off because there is no way you can push it up at this point. You’re too wounded to use your telekinesis to do it, so you wait until your friend returns with the supplies.

“Alright, talk to me,” she says, pulling out a pair of scissors. She gets to work cutting away your sleeve. “What happened?”

“It was Haywood,” you tell her. You shut your eyes and turn away from the wound. You don’t want to pass out from seeing the blood. “Except he called himself the ‘Mad King’.”

“Fan-freaking-tastic,” Lindsay mutters. “Why does the hot, rich guy have to be a psychopath? I can’t believe he shot you.”

“Well, he didn’t himself,” you tell her. You hear Lindsay slide on a pair of gloves and brace yourself for the iminate pain. “He had snipers on me. I used my powers on him and they shot at me. I managed to get my barrier up, but couldn’t dodge the bullets that got through.”

“What did he want?” Lindsay asks. “It seems stupid to do all this for the money.”

Your top teeth sink into your bottom lip as she gets to work trying to remove the bullet. The searing and burning pain almost makes you pass out, until you remember to take deep breaths. It helps a little. “I don’t think…it was just for the money.”

“Why do you say that?”

You can’t answer right away, mainly because the pain is too intense. When you finally can speak, it comes out in pants, “He didn’t take the money with him.”

You don’t need to look at your friend to know she’s frowning. Both of you fall silent. After another minute, she finds the bullet and pulls it gingerly from your arm. You hear the clink of metal as she drops it into the trash bin. You slump against the couch. “Why couldn’t I have gotten a better healing factor?”

Lindsay chuckles. “It’s not too bad,” she says. She gets to work cleaning the wound. “So what now?”

“I’ll search the database for ‘Mad King’ and see what I can find,” you tell her. “And if there isn’t anything, I’ll add it. If he’s new, the others should be aware.”

“I’ll ask the Lads,” Lindsay offers. “Maybe they’ve had dealings with him.” She starts to stitch up the wound.

“He did say he’s dealt with Masks in the past,” you recall. “But…” You let your voice trail off.

“But what?”

You sigh, thinking on your brief conversation with him. “He said I intrigue him.”

Lindsay pauses mid-stitch and you meet her concerned gaze. “Mantis…”

“I know,” you say. “He’s just trying to get under my skin.” You don’t finish your thought out loud. The truth is, he intrigues you as well. And it scares the shit out of you.

“Clearly he’s not all there,” Lindsay says, continuing her work. “He’s a powerful and well-known CEO. You obviously know who he is. The police are going to come for him.”

You don’t tell her that you doubt it. He wouldn’t stage such a spectacle if he was afraid of going to jail.

_“Believe it or not, you and I are a lot alike, Mantis. This identity is my real one.”_

Something occurs to you to make you swear under your breath.

“What?” Lindsay asks, finishing up the stitches.

“He didn’t wear a mask,” you tell her. “So he’s not afraid of the police coming after him. All I can prove was that he was there. He didn’t touch the money. I never heard him tell his men to steal anything, or to shoot me. Technically speaking, he didn’t _do_ anything.”

“Sounds like this guy has a thing for loopholes,” Lindsay mutters, pulling a bandage out of the kit. “You’ll just have to catch him actually doing something.”

“Yeah, well,” you say, watching her put the bandage over your wound. “Telling someone to do something bad is just as wrong as doing it yourself. He caught me off guard twice now. It won’t happen again.”

Lindsay looks like she wants to say something else, but she just sighs instead. She removes her rubber gloves. “All set.”

“Thanks,” you say, grateful. “Obviously I’m going to be out of commision for a day or two. You should just head home.”

“Are you sure?” Lindsay asks. “I can help look for information on the Mad King.”

You shake your head. “You’ve already done more than enough,” you assure her, slowly forcing yourself to sit forward. “I need to eat something and sleep. I lost a lot of blood.”

“Do you want me to get a sample of Mogar’s blood? He has a better healing factor. It will help your wound…” Lindsay offers.

You scrunch your nose and shake your head. “Last time I did that my powers were all off for a week,” you tell her. “I’ll be okay. I may not heal instantly, but I do heal fast.”

Lindsay sighs before she starts to clean up the mess of bloody gauze and tools. “Fine, if you insist,” she says. “Let me at least make you something to eat.”

You smile gratefully and try to remove the rest of your ruined shirt. You have a tank top underneath and it thankfully isn’t soaked in blood. You ball up the ruined shirt and drop it in the trash, before collapsing in a tired heap on the loveseat. Your body is trembling now and when Lindsay eventually brings you food, you devour it within seconds.

The house is oddly quiet after she leaves. You lay very still on the seat. Any kind of movement hurts, and you don’t bother getting painkillers because your body just burns through them quickly. It wouldn’t do much. Eventually you doze off.

However, no sooner have you closed your eyes than a voice startles you awake.

“Hey beautiful.”

You shoot into a sitting position, wincing as pain seizes your right arm. You look around wildly for the source of the voice, and find it.

The Mad King smiles at you from one of your monitors.

“How did you get into my system?” you demand, getting off the loveseat.

“I’m pretty good with computers,” he says. “Just wanted to check in to see how your arm is doing.”

“Keep talking,” you tell him, strolling over to the console. You pull the keyboard close to you and begin typing frantically. “If you’re in my system, I can track you.”

“You can certainly try,” the Mad King says with a shrug. “As long as I get to see your pretty face, I don’t mind a little chat.”

You keep your eyes trained on your keyboard, but you can feel the flush on your face.

“Do you ever take the mask off?” Mad King asks. “I was sure I’d be able to finally see your face without that stupid thing.” You never removed your mask when you got home, so he still can’t see your features clearly.

You purse your lips. You can’t respond. It’s what he wants. He wants to rile you up, to get you talking. You won’t give him the satisfaction.

“So silent now,” he continues. “Fine, I’ll talk. I’ve been watching you for some time. You don’t show off like some of these other Masks. Most of the deeds you’ve done have gone unnoticed in fact.”

You want to ask how he knows this. How long has he been watching you? But you still remain silent.

“I like this look on you,” the Mad King comments, gesturing towards you. He continues on as though your silence doesn’t bother him. “This, dressed down, mask on look. It’s very casual and sexy. That top on you fits very well. You can see every curve and contour…” When you meet his gaze, it’s to glare at him. “There always seems to be this need for Masks to dress flashy and skimpy. But not you. And then there are your powers. Again, anyone else would be overzealous with them. But you…I don’t think you realize just how powerful you are.”  

It’s getting harder not to respond. Who does he think he is? Just because he’s studied you from afar, doesn’t mean he knows you. You stare at your tracing program as it searches, wishing it could go faster. You’re done talking to him. Or more accurately, you’re done listening to him.

He doesn’t seem to be tired of talking. “You surprised me,” he continues. “I wasn’t expecting you to be able to put up that barrier so quickly. Makes me wonder just how fast your reflexes can be. I can’t wait to do some more testing…”

At this you jerk your head up so you can glare at him. Your arm throbs painfully. “Go fuck yourself.”

“My, what a filthy mouth,” he says, raising an eyebrow. “Can't say I'm disappointed.” He’s leaning back in his desk chair, and you can practically picture his legs up on his own console, that kilt drawn back…

You give your head a small shake and try to make out any important features in the room behind him. But all you see around his figure is darkness. Your tracing program is still running, but you need to keep him on for as long as possible. “Your increasing obsession with me is really creepy, you know that?”

“Oh I wouldn’t say obsession,” Ryan says, waving his hand dismissively. “I already told you, you intrigue me. You have a lot of potential, but you don’t seem to be using your powers to their fullest extent. For example, I saw you use your shield to fly. Seems unnecessary. You have more than enough power to make yourself fly without it.”

“Thanks for the insight I didn’t request,” you say bitterly. Your tracing program freezes and you angrily hit the keyboard.

“Oh yeah, that won’t work,” Ryan says. He leans forward on his console, resting his chin on his hand as if he’s bored.

“What do you want?!” you explode. “Why are you hacking my console? If you think you can find where I am-”

“Trust me, Mantis,” the Mad King cuts you off. “You’ll come to me. I don't need to seek you out."

"Yeah, okay," you say, your voice dripping with sarcasm. "Keep telling yourself that."

He sits up excitedly. "Oh, but it's true," he says. "See, because as much as you protest, I intrigue you just as much as you do me.”

“Right now the only thing you do to me is annoy me,” you snap.

Ryan’s eyes twinkle. “We both know that’s not true,” he says. “You’re curious about me. Dare I say, you’ve been thinking about me? So when do you want to meet again? What about tomorrow? Noon?"

"Eat me."

"Gladly," Ryan grins. "But I was planning something else."

Dread washes over you. "What are you going to do?"

A smirk spreads slowly across his face as he tilts his head ever so slightly. "You'll just have to see for yourself." He blows you a kiss. "Until tomorrow."

The screen goes black as you lose the call. Your tracing program aborts after a second. You stand still for a few moments, leaning against the console and breathing heavily. Anger surges through you and you clench your hands into fists to keep from punching your computer. Whatever the Mad King is planning, you’re going to put a stop to it. He may like toying with people, but you certainly don’t.  

“Game on,” you mutter.


	4. Chapter 4

You don’t get any sleep.

You sit cross legged on your bed, staring out the window, mulling over the situation with the Mad King. The night is chilly again, but this time you don’t close the window. After the first hour, you don’t even feel the cold. Part of you is expecting the Mad King to show up just to throw you off, but for some reason you believe him when he says he’s not going to seek you out.

When Lindsay comes in the morning, you tell her everything that happened after she left. She is not at all pleased with the situation. She begs you not to meet him.

You have no idea what the Mad King is planning, but you can’t miss the meeting. If you do, who knows what could happen? If he’s angry, he could take it out on innocent civilians. Ignoring him may cause him to act out in a bigger aspect. There’s no way you’re going to let other people suffer on your behalf.

“It’s a trap, you have to know that,” Lindsay says as you pull up your hood. “Look at you. You look like shit! You didn’t get any sleep and you’re still weak from being shot. He’s going to destroy you.”

“What do you want me to do, Lindsay?” you ask, angrily rounding towards her. “Just ignore it? You know I can’t.”

“Let the Lads handle it,” Lindsay begs. “Or at least let them come with you. I can call them right now and have them meet you in the city.”

“They have their own shit to deal with,” you remind her. “And I have a feeling if I bring other Masks, whatever he has planned will be ten times worse.”

“How can you possibly know that?” Lindsay is starting to get angry.

You carefully stretch your wounded arm. It’s still sore as hell, but you can at least move it without wincing too bad. “It’s just a hunch,” you say.

“Mantis, you know nothing about him. He’s already proven to be unpredictable,” Lindsay begins.

“Lindsay, I’ll be fine,” you assure her. You fix your mask in place before you pick up your shield and take a deep breath. “Alright, keep an eye on me.”

“Always,” your best friend says. She hesitates for a moment before giving you a hug. “Be careful.”

You pat her awkwardly on the back before heading out the door. You don’t fly to the city this time. Instead you drive. You need to save what little energy you have for whatever it is the Mad King has planned. Minutes later, your car is parked and you’re patrolling the city on rooftop. You rarely patrol during the day, but you have no choice.

Everything seems normal.

Cars are busy coming and going, while pedestrians walk the streets. The sun is hot and you feel yourself beginning to sweat almost immediately. You should have worn a lighter jacket. You press the button on your bluetooth. “Anything?” you ask Lindsay.

“Not really,” she says. “Wait, there’s a bank robbery on ten.”

“On it,” you say without hesitation.

It’s a small bank, and the robbers are apprehended quickly. However, you’re barely done there before there’s another robbery three streets over. The Mad King has still not shown himself, so you work on the second robbery.

It doesn’t stop however. Five more robberies occur, each further away from the previous. Lindsay is adamant she hasn’t seen the Mad King at all, but you know the robberies are his doing. It doesn’t make sense however. Other than tiring you out, the robberies aren’t really that bad…

Wait.

Tiring you out.

You rest your shaking body against the brick wall of the last bank, trying to catch your breath. “He wants to weaken me,” you pant into your bluetooth.

No answer.

“Lindsay?” you ask. When you still don’t get a response you swear. “Shit! Not this again!”

There are suddenly loud screams from the main street, and you immediately sprint towards the commotion. People are running in different directions and cars are veering off the road.

You groan as a large mechanical being moves down the street, flinging cars out of the way. Another death robot. Great. You fucking hate robots. Maybe you should have asked the Lads to join you.

“Everyone get to the subways! Get off the streets!” you yell to the civilians, waving them away from the screaming, metal deathtrap headed towards you. As they run past, you move towards the danger, pulling your shield off your back. The robot turns it’s red eye in your direction and you see the camera in there zoom in on you.

A red laser comes shooting at you and you hold the shield up to deflect it.

It bounces off the metal and hits a nearby building. You wince as you hear the windows shatter and glass flies everywhere.

You throw your shield, but one of the robot’s eight metal arms shoots out to knock it away. You dive as it comes back at you. You try to control the limbs yourself, but as you move two or three of them, the others block the attack. You’re so exhausted from stopping the bank robberies, your powers aren’t as strong as they should be. As a result, the robot is able to shake off your attempts to control it.

“Fuck!” you swear.

The robot starts coming directly for you. Great, you certainly got its attention. Maybe if you’re higher up you’ll have a better advantage. You run towards one of the buildings and use your powers to hover from one point to another until you’re pulling yourself up onto the roof. Now that you’re out of its line of sight, the robot ignores you in favor of the innocent civilians on the ground. 

You watch in horror as it sends several people flying in multiple directions. You soften their landings as best you can, but a few hit the ground too hard and you know they’ll be going to the hospital later.

“Alright, enough of this,” you say.

You take a deep breath and focus all your energy and power not on the limbs of the robot, but the main body. It slowly begins to lift off the ground, it’s circular head spinning around wildly in confusion. You hold the body up with one hand, while you use your other hand to rip it’s head off. It goes flying down the street. There. At least it can’t see anything now. Your arms are shaking violently, but you hold the metal beast up, giving the crowds of people on the ground time to run away.

You close your eyes to concentrate, willing yourself to ignore the violent shaking of your body. You try to picture the inside of the robot. You have a vague knowledge on how one of these things works. You saw the Lads’ reports on the one they destroyed the other day. You focus on the internal wiring and begin to pull random wires. There’s a loud popping noise and you open your eyes in time to see the robot vibrating.

You know what happens next and you summon the rest of your strength to throw the robot as far in the air as you can, where it promptly explodes. Quickly, you throw up a barrier to block the street below from the shrapnel and debris.

Unfortunately, this leaves you vulnerable. You are able to duck in time for the big pieces, but the movement causes you to stumble and you lose your footing. The edge of the building comes up quick and you go spiraling over, catching yourself on the ledge. You hold on for dear life, but your wounded arm is throbbing and your body is beyond exhaustion. 

Your grip is slipping.

Sweat is pouring down your face as you try to pull yourself up onto the roof. Your foot slips and you almost go tumbling back down. You are struggling to concentrate on the telekinetic barrier until the shrapnel stops flying and the people have found cover. But you don’t think you’ll be able to hold on that much longer.

A shadow passes across your face and your terrified eyes meet calm, blue ones.

“Well aren’t you in a bit of a situation,” the Mad King chuckles as he kneels on the ledge near your fingers. He glances past you to the street below and raises his eyebrow. “I see. Can’t save yourself without risking the civilians. That’s just too bad.”

You glare at him and try to pull yourself up again, but your feet scrape uselessly against the bricks, slick with oil from that damn robot. “So what?” you pant. “Come to finish me off?”

“Quite the contrary,” Mad King says, reaching for you. “Take my hand.”

You don’t trust him for a second. You just need to hold on for another minute or so and then you should have enough strength to save yourself. Your arms are shaking and your vision begins to blur. You clench your jaw and don’t say anything.

“Really?” he asks with an eyeroll. “I’m offering a truce and you’d rather fall to your death.”

“Yes,” you say icily. Your right arm gives out and your hand slips from the building. Your world spins dangerously as you dangle from one hand.

“Just trust me this once,” Mad King says. “If something is going to take you down it’s going to be me, not gravity.” He extends his hand again.

You hear screams from down below and you know the longer you try to hold yourself up, the weaker your barrier on the ground gets. You curse to yourself before gathering your remaining strength and grabbing the Mad King’s hand. His grip is tight as he pulls you back onto the roof. Your legs are useless and you collapse against him, panting and sweating profusely. Debris stops falling around you, and you let your barrier slip below.

The sound of civilians cheering gives you comfort.

“Now, was that so hard?” Ryan asks, moving a strand of hair away from the mask on your face. “Next time you’re sweating and panting, hopefully you're naked underneath me with my mouth on your-”

You ball your hand into a fist and sock him right in the jaw, effectively cutting off what he was going to say. You throw your telekinesis into it, so the Mad King actually flies across the rooftop to the other side.

“Owww!” he calls as he lands hard, flat on his back. His crown flies off and rolls away.

You ignore the fact that his kilt is now bunched up around his waist (even though you’re pretty sure he isn’t wearing anything underneath) and march over to him. “You son of a bitch!” you snap. You reach down and seize him by the throat, hauling him to his feet. His hands clutch your wrist, but you back him up so he’s teetering on the edge of the building.

“That’s it! There’s that fire!” Ryan says with an almost crazed laugh. There is a trickle of blood making it’s way down his chin from the corner of his mouth and it’s oddly satisfying to you. He’s made you bleed, and now you’ve returned the favor.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t fucking throw you off the side of the building right now!” you exclaim.

“That seems a little dark for you,” Ryan says, his voice cracking as you tighten your hold on his throat. “You wouldn’t kill an unarmed man in cold blood, would you?”

You’re panting heavily, your teeth bared and your nails digging into the soft flesh under your fingers. You feel them pierce his skin.

But he’s right. You wouldn’t kill him in cold blood.

However, if you did it would be so satisfying. After shooting you, making you run all over the city, then attacking you with a huge death robot he would definitely have it coming. But he’s right, he doesn’t have a weapon. And there is still the issue that you’ve never seen him actually lift a finger himself.

You take a few steps back so he’s not on the edge of the building anymore and you slowly loosen your grip on his throat. He jerks away from you and begins to cough, his hand coming up to touch his tender neck. “I was almost sure you were going to push me," he croaks. "How disappointing.” He pulls his hand away to examine the droplets of blood left by your fingernails.

You pull your arm back to punch him again, but he catches your fist this time and tugs you forward, trapping your body flush against his. You immediately try to struggle, but he’s much stronger than he looks, and you have absolutely no energy left to use your powers on him. And if you did, you would send him right off the roof which you had just decided wasn’t the best decision. He leans forward and his nose ever so gently brushes against yours.

You freeze instantly, too stunned to struggle. He continues to lean forward and your lips brush as he nuzzles his face against yours. His hands move to cup your cheeks and then his mouth is tasting yours vigorously and hungrily.

White hot desire shoots through your body and the heat instantly pools in your belly.

You moan and kiss him back, your lips trembling as they slide against his clumsily. It’s been so long since you’ve done this. But after a few seconds it comes back to you and you swipe your tongue across his lips. He yanks back for a moment, his eyes wide and almost crazed. To say he’s pleased with the development would be an understatement. He looks fucking delighted and he raises his eyebrow for a moment for diving in for another kiss.

This time you’re ready for it, and this time your hands grip his jacket and practically crush his body against yours.

His hands drop to your waist and he lets out a low growl. The sound sends a shiver down your spine.

But, as quick as it begins, it’s over and he’s pulling away.

You’re so dazed and confused, you stand blinking for a second, trying to make sense of what just happened. By the time you come back to yourself, he’s gone and you’re left alone on the roof top, the taste of him still lingering on your lips.


	5. Chapter 5

You are barely able to make it home. 

By the time you pull into your driveway, your vision is tunneling in and you have just enough time to see Lindsay running towards your car before you pass out. When you wake up, you’re in your own bed and the sun is beginning to go down.

“Oh thank god,” Lindsay says, breathing a huge sigh of relief. She stands next to your bed and you wonder how long she’s been there.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” Mogar exclaims. He’s also standing by your bedside, his arms crossed and an angry expression on his face. He’s dressed in civilian clothes. “Fucking idiot! You know death robots are our thing! You should have called us!”

You inwardly groan. You were hoping to leave the Lads out of this. You have the situation mostly under control. “I would have called for backup if my com was fucking working,” you croak. Your throat is bone dry and you’re sent into a coughing fit.

Lindsay frowns as Mogar hands you a glass of water. You take it gratefully and he helps you sit up so you can drink. “The coms were perfectly fine. We tested them,” she says.

You clear your throat after downing the water. “It’s happened before,” you tell them, your voice a little stronger now. “In the bank. I thought it was the battery. Twice is too much of a coincidence. He broke into my console, the robots were definitely his…he probably has a gadget or something to mess with communication.”

“And what’s that?” Mogar asks.

You frown and look to the nightstand where he’s pointing. The Mad King’s crown is sitting there and the sight of it startles you. “Where did that come from?”

“You were clutching it in your hand,” Lindsay says.

You look down at your bandaged appendage. “Well that explains this,” you say. You must have cut yourself on the sharp edges. Now that you think about it, you vaguely recall grabbing it before leaving the rooftop. “Oh god I feel so horrible.”

“You could have killed yourself!” Lindsay scolds.

“I am a grown woman,” you say angrily. “I handled it and barely anyone got hurt.”

“You’re hurt,” Mogar says.

You wave your hand dismissively. “Better me than the civilians,” you say. You slowly push yourself into a sitting position, wincing as every muscle in your body protests. “Did I have my shield with me?” Lindsay shakes her head sadly. “Shit. Must have left it on the street before I climbed the building. I just finished it to!”

“I’m sure the city clean up guys will have it,” Lindsay says. “You can check with them when you’re feeling better. Please, please tell me you’re going to stay in for the next few days.”

“Trust me, I couldn’t move even if I wanted to,” you tell her.

“Good, then we’re going to stay here to make sure you don’t,” Mogar says.

You groan loudly. “Please don’t,” you beg. “Guys, as previously stated, I’m a fucking adult. I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Think of it more as security than babysitting,” Lindsay says. “The Mad King broke into your console once. I’ve upgraded since then, but if he’s really good he’ll try again. No more talking with him.”

“If I didn’t talk with him before I wouldn’t have been as on guard as I was,” you point out.

“Do you _want_ to talk to him?” Mogar asks.

You’re really tired of your face turning red. “No,” you say, fighting the blush. “But that doesn’t mean I should ignore him. If I do, I guarantee people are going to get hurt. So far I’ve been lucky going along with him. I can handle this.”

“How is it she gets an arch-enemy before we do?” Mogar asks, hands on his hips.

“Really? That’s what you’re taking away from this?” Lindsay asks, sending her husband a glare.

“I’m just saying, we’ve been saving the world for three years,” Mogar mumbles. “We should have an arch enemy by now.”

“Keep talking and you’re going to,” Lindsay warns. “This is serious. We need to figure out why he’s fixating on her and what we can do to stop it.”

“I already told you,” you say. “We haven’t caught him doing anything himself. I have to play along if we have any chance of stopping him. You both know as well as I do that if we go to a judge with this information, it won’t stick. Especially not with his money and influence. Right now he’s just some crazy CEO running around in a kilt and crown.”

“Well, just a kilt,” Mogar points out, gesturing to the crown. “Do you think he’s going to want it back?”

“I’m counting on it,” you say.

“Are you going to try and lure him into a trap with it?” Lindsay asks, not looking very confident at the idea.

“Something like that,” you say. Your eyes begin to droop and you can’t help hold back a yawn. “Now are you guys done scolding me? I need to pass out some more.”

“Good idea,” Mogar says, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Get some sleep. We’ll bring you something to eat later.”

You watch them go, closing the door to your bedroom behind them. Once they’re gone, you carefully reach over and pick up the Mad King’s crown. It’s heavy, almost like it’s made out of real gold. You realize it probably is. You turn the headpiece over in your hands, examining the smoother edges carefully.

As far as you can tell there doesn’t look to be any listening or other electronic devices hidden on it. You let out a brief sigh of relief and place it carefully back onto the nightstand. Slowly you ease yourself onto your side, using the pillows around you to cushion your sore body and turning your back on the crown so you don’t have to look at it. 

Once you’re comfortable you exhale slowly and succumb to the exhaustion.

Hours later, you awaken in darkness. You can hear Mogar and Lindsay softly talking in the living room, and the sound comforts you. You lay still in bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to remember what you were dreaming about. But your brain is still foggy and you can’t hold onto it.

You look over at the nightstand and your eyes find the crown. There’s a light flashing, reflected in the gold and you realize it’s sitting on your tablet. Groaning, you lean over and slide the device out from underneath it. You press the power button to check your messages, but the screen doesn’t come on. After a minute of trying, you’re too tired to mess with it so you drop it on the bed next to you.

“Mmmm, mood lighting…”

You shut your eyes as you hear the Mad King’s voice and it takes all your willpower not to groan in frustration. Instead you pick up the tablet. “Really? I can’t have an evening to recover?”

The Mad King smiles at you. “Rest easy, beautiful,” he says. “I have no plans to have you run around the city. At least not for a few days.”

“Then what do you want?” you snap. “I’m exhausted and in pain.”

“Just checking up on you,” Mad King says with a shrug. “Also, you have something of mine.”

“What, you don’t have another solid gold crown?” you ask.

“Do you have another shield?” Ryan asks.

You narrow your eyes angrily and watch him slowly run his hands along your shield. His eyes catch yours and there something in his look that makes you suddenly feel warm. You kick off your comforter in annoyance, but the warmth doesn’t go away. “If you destroy it…” you begin.

“Relax, I have no intention of damaging your shield,” he says. “Even though you don’t need it.”

“Regardless, I want it back,” you tell him.

“And I want my crown,” Ryan says. “What are we going to do about it?”

You take a deep breath and as much as it pains you to say it, you suggest, “Swap?”

Mad King raises an eyebrow at you and you see him put your shield off to the side. “In person? You’re willing to meet me? I thought you would never come to me?”

“I’m not,” you snap. “I pick the place, I pick the time. We both come alone. We swap and then go our separate ways.”

“So I come to you alone?” Mad King asks with a smirk. “You’re either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid.”

“I’ve always come to you alone,” you point out. The Mad King considers this, but doesn’t answer. “Unless you’re too scared…”

He rolls his eyes at you. “Mantis, you wound me,” he says in a hollow tone. “Also, you seriously wear your mask to bed?”

You reach up and feel the rubber on your face. Mogar and Lindsay never removed it for you and you had been so exhausted you hadn’t either. You completely forgot you are still wearing it. “Why are you so fixated on my mask?”

“My imagination can only do so much,” he says. “I’d like to have an unobstructed view of your face.”

“Well, too fucking bad,” you say. “Look, do you want your crown back or not?”

The Mad King eyes you for a moment before answering. “Yes.”

“Okay, two nights from now, Second Street. Midnight. There’s a building under construction that’ll be a good meeting point. We exchange and then we turn and leave.”

“Or you can turn and leave and I can watch you walk away,” Ryan smirks.

“Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Make everything I say dirty,” you say with annoyance.

“It’s called flirting,” the Mad King tells you.

“It’s called being a pig,” you shoot back. “Some people may like that type of ‘flirting’, but it’s not really my cup of tea.”

“Understood,” Ryan says. “For future reference, what type of flirting do you like?”

You fight back the exasperated sigh. “None from you thanks,” you say glaring at him.

“So no more flirting, just kissing then?” Ryan asks coyly.

You were hoping he wouldn’t bring that up. You had been trying desperately to forget that it happened. Of course your subconscious has other plans, since you dreamt of it while you were sleeping. “No, no more of that,” you say, your confident voice wavering in your embarrassment.

Ryan pouts slightly. “That’s too bad,” he says. “You can’t deny there is a spark between us. I’m not ashamed to say I quite liked it. And clearly, you did too.”

“Whether or not I liked it is irrelevant,” you snap. “It was a mistake and it won’t happen again.”

Ryan smirks, his eyes sparkling at the prospect of the challenge. “We’ll see.”

“No we won’t,” you say impatiently. Your hands are getting tired from holding the tablet up. “Are we done here? Or am I going to have to smash my tablet in order to get you to shut up?”

“So feisty,” Ryan says, looking smug. He makes a small noise in the back of his throat that makes your toes curl. You curse your body for betraying you. “I say we’re done here. Although, I will say one more thing. The light from the moon makes you look radiant.”

The compliment is innocent enough, but it still makes you blush profusely and you hate him for it. In fact, it makes you blush harder than his previous flirtations. “I’ll see you in two days,” you mutter angrily.

A small smile slowly spreads across the Mad King’s face. “Until then,” he says. And then the screen goes blank. You let out a shaky breath and let your hands fall to your side. The tablet slips through your fingers and lands with a soft thud on the floor. Your body is shaking, but you’re not so sure it’s from the exhaustion. The warmth you felt when you heard his voice hasn’t left you and in the back of your mind you are well aware how troublesome that is.

“We will meet, exchange items and then that’s it,” you mumble to yourself.

You can’t help but look over at the crown again. This time when you turn on your side, you face the nightstand. The moonlight bounces off the gold and you suddenly imagine him looming over you while wearing it, his mouth catching yours eagerly as his hands explore your body…

You physically shake your head in an attempt to stop the image, pressing the heels of your palms against your closed eyelids. You can do this. You need to do this. You can put your severely misplaced attraction aside and do your job. You need to gain the upper hand and meet him on your terms. Just because he says nice things about you doesn’t make him a good person. If anything his behavior has only emphasized the fact that he’s a fucking lunatic.

But, if you’re going to beat said lunatic, you have to throw him off. You have to catch him by surprise. And that’s exactly what you plan to do.

He’s made his move. Now it’s time to make yours.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Artwork by helegad.tumblr.com

You don’t tell your friends about the meeting. 

You already know what their reactions are going to be, and you want to save yourself the headache. There’s nothing the Mad King can try that you can’t handle. And there is nothing they can say that will stop you from meeting him. You have to get your shield back, and at least this way it’s on your terms.

Unfortunately, they do insist at least one of them stay with you around the clock.

This is why you find yourself locking your bedroom door and sneaking out of the window like a teenager. Mogar is passed out on the couch in the living room and you’ve known him long enough to know he’s going to remain there the rest of the night.

It’s difficult to get past your defenses, but you do it without issue.

Two days of nonstop sleeping and eating have recharged your powers and you feel back to your old self. Your bullet wound is almost completely healed and you aren’t even going to have a scar. You get into your vehicle and make for the city. You can’t help but fidget nervously. You shouldn’t be nervous. You’ve been to a hand off before. But this is different.

You reach the building in no time, but you don’t go it right away. Instead you circle around the block several times, making sure to check out everyone in the area. There are only a few people, and they are gone once you return after parking your car.

The building is still very much under construction and you’re careful as you enter. There are no lights inside, but between the full moon and the streetlights it’s more than bright enough to see. You take a few steps towards the center of the room before a familiar voice makes you freeze. “You’re early.”

You turn around and watch the Mad King practically materialize out of the shadows.

“So are you,” you say.

“Only because I assumed you would be,” the Mad King says stepping closer. “Don’t worry, I didn’t break our agreement. I am alone.”

“I know,” you tell him, cautiously moving a little closer. You hold up his crown. “Where is it?”

Ryan’s hands come out from behind his back and you let out a small sigh of relief as he shows you the shield. “So how do you want to handle this?”

“Give me my shield and I’ll give you your crown,” you order.

“How is that fair? What’s to stop you from taking the shield and crown?” Ryan asks.

You try to keep your temper in check. “What the fuck would I do with a crown?” you ask. “And let me remind you, out of the two of us, I am the most trustworthy. I haven’t tried to destroy the city.”

“Neither have I,” Ryan says with a shrug.

“What do you call that death robot?” you ask.

“Incentive for you to push yourself,” he tells you. “You were exhausted and wounded, and you still managed to destroy the robot and save the civilians. Goal achieved.”

You make a noise of impatience. “Just give me my shield,” you demand.

He holds it out. “Come over and take it,” he purrs.

“No, I’m not getting any closer than this,” you tell him, motioning to the large empty space between you two. You’re on separate sides of the unfinished room, in the only spot that doesn’t have equipment or wooden beams.

“Why? Afraid you’ll let the urge to kiss me overcome you?” the Mad King teases.

Your body instantly grows warm and just remembering the way his lips felt against yours makes that fire settle in your belly again. “I don’t want to kiss you.” You take a few steps towards him to prove you aren’t afraid to be closer to him. You then curse yourself for reacting to his teasing.

“I am not ashamed to say that I enjoyed the kiss,” Ryan says with a shrug. He puts the shield on the ground, resting it against a beam. After, he takes a few steps across the room towards you. “Nor am I ashamed to say I would very much like to do it again. Preferably right now.”

“I didn’t want to kiss you then, and I don’t want to kiss you now.” Both of those statements are outright lies, but your conviction is strong. It doesn’t seem to fool him however.

“Maybe not right now,” Ryan says, taking a few steps in your direction. “Let’s not forget that you kissed me back on that rooftop. You could have pushed me away. You could have hit me again. But you didn’t. You kissed me.”

“A moment of weakness,” you tell him. “It won’t happen again.”

“I highly doubt that,” the Mad King says with a shake of his head. “Come on, you’re not willing to admit there’s been a spark between us since we met?”

You clench your hands into fists, trying to keep your anger in check. The crown digs into your hand again but you don't notice. “No,” you answer in a flat tone.

The Mad King gives you a dramatic eye roll. “Mantis, argue and fight all you want, but there is something here,” he says, gesturing between the both of you. It startles you to realize you’re practically within arms reach. When did he get so close? “I see it every time I look into your eyes and you’re looking right back into mine. You want me.”

He’s not expecting the punch, so it throws him off guard and he falls to the ground with a swear.

“Don’t fucking presume to know what I’m thinking,” you say, pointing an angry finger down at him.

He sweeps his leg and it’s your turn to fall, flat on your ass. “It’s not presumption,” he pants, getting to his feet slowly. You’re already scrambling to yours. You can’t believe you let him take you off guard…again! You’re so done with this shit. “It’s fact. You want me, and I want you.”

“Enough!” you snap, tossing his crown to the side. “You know what, I was just going to walk away from this, but I think it’s high time I make you bleed some more.”

“Interesting,” he says, cocking his eyebrow at you. His body turns into a defensive stance and he raises his fist. “Wasn’t aware you were so well versed in hand-to-hand. I’ve never seen you physically fight someone.”

“There’s a first time for everything,” you say, raising your fists as well. “I’m going to thoroughly enjoy kicking your smug ass.”

Ryan laughs. “God I love your fire,” he says. “Bring it.”

You both circle each other, neither wanting to make the first move. You could easily fling him across the room, but you won’t. Not this time. A few times he makes a move like he’s going to try to hit you, but you don’t flinch. When you finally do throw a punch, he dodges it easily. You anticipate he will so you send another into his side.

He lets out a small, “Oof!” and stumbles slightly. You don’t let him get his footing before you lunge again. But he’s ready this time, and his knuckles connect with your ribcage. It’s not a hard punch, but it’s enough to knock the wind out of you for a second. You take the opportunity to sink your elbow into his cheek.

You both break apart and Ryan spits blood onto the floor. It looks like you split his lip. “You fight dirty,” he says. “I bet you’re dirty in other aspects too.”

“Yet again you resort to being a pig,” you growl, dodging several punches. You feel he’s making you back up too much. You both are getting dangerously close to the wooden beams, so you take a few side steps to move to a better spot.

“Habit,” he says smirking. “I’m working on it.”

“Work harder.” You lunge again and he’s able to block two of your three blows.

You feel like he’s toying with you. He’s always fucking toying with you. Already he’s turned the fight in his favor because he’s got you talking. You lunge again, but he catches your fist this time and draws you close to him.

“You never learn,” he chuckles. His nose is brushing yours again, just like it was on the rooftop.

“On the contrary,” you smirk. His arms are locked around you, but you throw your body against his, unleashing some of your power. You both go flying backwards. You crash through several of the support beams and in the commotion he lets you go. You get to your feet faster than he gets to his and you grab him by the collar, hurling him across the room and through a plaster wall. The pieces crumble under your boots as you follow after him, but he’s not as incapacitated as you thought and he’s ready for you. You both lunge at each other again.

You have no idea how it happens. One moment you both are throwing punches, and the next you're kissing.

Mouths clash together angrily as hands begin to tug and pull at each other. You pin him to a beam, your tongue delving into his accepting mouth. You feel the beam break and the floor caves from under you. You use your powers to help you both float safely to floor of the basement, all the while continuing your assault on his mouth.

The noise he makes is barely human as his fingers work to unzip your jacket. You kick out of your boots, ignoring the feeling of broken wood, plaster and everything else under your feet. Minutes later, you’re falling onto the pile of your clothes, his naked muscular body covering yours. Your head is spinning from lack of oxygen, but neither of you are backing down from the kiss. The fire that pooled in your belly when you first saw him is now racing through your veins. His hands are busy stroking and exploring every bit of flesh he can reach and your legs wrap themselves around his waist, daring him to go on.

Your hand tangles into his hair and you tug on the strands, forcing him to pull back and look at you. His eyes are alight with lust and excitement. Whatever outcome he considered for this evening, this clearly wasn’t it. You keep eye contact with him as he slowly slides into you, inch-by-inch until he’s buried completely inside your shaking body. You both let out twin moans and you pull him down for another kiss.

When he slowly draws out only to thrust back in roughly, you arch your back with a whimper. The slow movements only last a few seconds. In a matter of time he’s pumping in and out of you quickly, burying himself completely in your willing flesh before drawing out and doing it all over again. Your chest is heaving and you have to stop kissing him so you can catch your breath. His mouth trails down your cheek and to your neck. His tongue finds a sensitive spot below your ear and you cry out, your hands sliding down to his sweaty back.

Nails digging into his shoulder blades, you meet every thrust with your own hips.

His mouth returns to yours as his hips move quicker. His hand moves between your scalding bodies and his thumb begins to rub your clit furiously. It’s like a dam erupting inside of you, as waves of pleasure wash over you again and again. Ryan’s there with you, slamming into your body with a guttural cry that makes a shiver run through you.

Once the pleasure is gone however, once your breathing slows and you open your eyes, you’re faced with the terrifying realization of what you have just done.

“Oh god,” you croak, your voice hoarse from screaming.

“Mmm, oh god indeed,” the Mad King purrs, nuzzling his face against yours. He places soft kisses on your neck and shoulder. “I feel so much better. Don’t you?”

You shut your eyes tight to avoid looking at him and you let your arms and legs slide onto the cold concrete. “Please get off of me.”

You feel the Mad King grow still above you. You can’t see his face, but you know he’s frowning. He doesn’t question you however. He carefully eases himself out, making you bite back a groan. He drops onto the clothes next to you. Neither of you say anything, and you take the time to mentally calm yourself before opening your eyes again. “That…was not what I intended.”

“On that we can both agree,” the Mad King says.

You take a deep breath and glance over at him. He’s already laying on his side, looking at you. His gaze is softer now and he looks like he’s at ease with the situation. His hand comes up to gently stroke your arm, but you don’t pull away from him. It’s oddly calming actually and your body stops trembling. You should not be surprised this happened. There is a fine line between love and hate and you’ve both been dancing on it for days now. You allow yourself a small smile, and he grins back.

However, the smile is gone in an instant. “This doesn’t change anything,” you tell him.

“I’m pretty sure this changes everything,” the Mad King counters.

Your eyes break contact with him and it’s then that you notice your surroundings. You grab your leather jacket to cover yourself as you sit up and look around. “When did we fall through the floor?” You look up to examine the huge hole in the ceiling. You’re going to have to give up your paycheck this week and donate it to the contractors, which you are more than happy to do.

“Right before we got naked,” the Mad King says, sitting up as well. He doesn’t cover himself. Instead he leans against you, his hand running down your arm. His fingers tangle with yours. “You are a complex woman, Mantis. But oh so full of surprises.”

You feel your cheeks flush and you jerk away. You start pulling on your clothes.

The Mad King follows your lead and you both dress in silence. As you pull your jacket on, you think about your shield and his crown and both come floating towards you through the hole in the ceiling. You thrust the crown towards him. “Here.”

He takes it from you and places it on his head. Once it’s on correctly, he steps forward. His arm comes around your waist and he places a soft, almost gentle kiss on your lips. You sigh heavily, but you can’t help but kiss him back. When he pulls away, he says softly, “If you think I’m going to pretend this didn’t happen, I have some bad news for you.”

You let your eyes drop to the ground, but he places his hand on your cheek and forces you to look at him.

“I will see you soon,” he promises with a smirk. His hand falls and he takes a few steps back, giving you the space you so desperately need right now.

“I may not know what your overall plan is,” you tell him, dropping your shield onto the floor so you can stand on it. “But I will put a stop to it.”

“And I look forward to watching you try,” the Mad King counters.

You don’t respond. Instead you fly through the hole in the ceiling and shoot through the half-done roof, making your way back to your car. You know you’re going to see him soon, because once you get home you’re going to activate the tracer you just planted on him.

And maybe for once, you’ll catch him off guard.


	7. Chapter 7

On the drive home, you try everything to not think of what you just did. It’s a little difficult because your body is humming in a way it hasn’t ever before. It takes all your willpower to keep the satisfied smile off your face. The fact that you’ll have to explain to Lindsay how you got your shield back certainly takes care of it for you. She’s going to be furious. She’s probably going to punch you. You don’t blame her. 

You certainly have it coming.

Your plan was to plant the tracker on his crown and give him the headpiece back. That’s it. No where in your scheme was there room for sex. How did you go from beating the shit out of each other, to screwing like rabbits?

The further you get from the city, the sicker you feel.

You’ve always been able to compartmentalize. No matter the situation, you know what’s right and what’s wrong. The Mad King lives up to his name. He’s insane and unpredictable. He’s been targeting you for almost a week now, hacking into your consoles, robbing banks, unleashing death robots…

And you just slept with him. On the scale of right and wrong, that’s pretty fucking terrible. No matter how good it felt.

You turn the headlights off as you get closer to home and carefully park your car exactly where it was before you left. Your defenses are still up and you start the processes of carefully navigating them. Eventually you reach your bedroom window and quietly slip back inside. As you move to close the curtains, the light in your room turns on and you whip around.

“And just where were you young lady?” Mogar asks. He’s sitting in your armchair like a fucking parent, looking at you with the most unamused expression you’ve ever seen on his face. And that’s saying something.

“Er…” Yeah, you have no excuse prepared.

“You look like shit,” Mogar comments, pushing himself up to stand. “The crown is gone. Did you go meet the Mad King?”

You realize what you must look like. You’re bruised and covered with plaster. Your leggings are torn in places and your knuckles are bloody. “...maybe.”

“GOD DAMN IT, MANTIS!”

“I had to! I needed my shield back,” you tell him.

“Yeah, and how did that work out for you?” Mogar asking, gesturing to your disheveled state.

You try not to remember the feeling of the Mad King pressing into you, or his lips on your neck as he found that spot that makes you melt. “Would it make it better if I tell you this blood on my clothes isn’t mine?”

Mogar’s glare softens and he smirks instead, “Yeah, a little.”

You put your shield on the floor and limp further into the room. You hit your knee on the ground after tackling Ryan and you know it’s going to bug you for the next few hours. Your thighs are also sore, but that has nothing to do with the fight. Mogar helps you out of your jacket.

“So what happened?”

You take a few seconds to sort through your feelings before you answer him. “Well, we agreed to meet alone to make the exchange,” you explain. “He said shit I didn’t like, so I beat the crap out of him.”

“How did you get away?” Mogar inquires.

You try desperately not to picture the Mad King naked, or how he looked when he watched you fly away. “I got out of there before it could escalate further. By the way, remind me to give my paycheck to the contractors working on that building on second.”

Mogar gives a snort of laughter as he drops your jacket onto the armchair he just vacated. “Alright, what’s the plan?” He’s studying you with his hands on his hips.

“Plan?”

“Moving forward,” he clarifies. “We still need to gather evidence on him. I assume you have a plan.”

“I planted a tracker on him,” you tell him. “It’s one of LIndsay’s special clear, thin ones so he can’t see it. We turn it on and see if we can find out where he spends his time. Then I can go from there.” You switch your weight to your uninjured knee and wince.

“He must have done a number on you,” Mogar comments. He looks at you through squinted eyes and and your anxiety rises under the scrutiny. “One quick question though; why do you have a bruise on your neck?”

Instinctively your hand flies up to cover what you know is a hickey. “He grabbed my neck,” you say quickly.

Mogar raises his eyebrow at you. “Right,” he says slowly. “And it left just one bruise?”

Your eyes flicker around the room, trying to find something to help you change the subject or save you in some way. When that fails, you uneasily meet Mogar’s knowing gaze. “...yeah?”

He buries his face in one hand. “Oh god, Mantis, you didn’t…” He peeks at you through his fingers and when he sees your guilty face, he swears again, gesturing wildly. “Jesus fucking Christ! You had sex with him?!”

You peel your mask off your face and toss it on the ground. “I don’t need the lecture, Mogar. I’ve been kicking myself about it the entire ride home,” you snap, rubbing your tired eyes.

“How could you have sex with him? WHY? He’s fucking batshit crazy!” Mogar continues.

“I know!” you practically yell. “I know all that! I did it and I’m not proud of it! Back the fuck off!” You drop onto your bed, covering your face with your hands.

“Was it at least good?” Mogar asks.

You shoot him a glare, before quickly averting your gaze. “It was amazing.”

“That makes this even harder,” Mogar says. “So what? Does this change things?”

“No,” you say, perhaps a little more forcefully than you mean to. “It doesn’t. As soon as we have evidence that he’s behind all of this, and as soon as we have physical proof, he’s going to jail.”

Mogar is watching you carefully, almost as if he’s trying to see if you’re lying or not. Whatever he sees in your expression must convince him you’re telling the truth, because he doesn’t push the subject. “Alright, okay. Things happens, whatever. Just be careful.”

“Trust me, it won’t happen again,” you assure him.

“Oh it’s totally going to happen again,” Mogar says with a flippant shrug. You look at him with wide eyes. “Don’t look at me like that. I don’t make the rules. You two hate each other and had angry sex. Angry sex is the best. It’s going to happen again.”

“I don’t think he hates me,” you say, more to yourself than to him. “I don’t know what his feelings are towards me. Maybe he doesn’t know either. But it doesn't feel like hate.”

You hear footsteps in the hallway, and you and Mogar both turn to look at Lindsay as she walks through the door. She takes one look at your dirty and bloody clothing and you can practically see the fire in her eyes. “Bitch, you did not go and meet him!”

You open your mouth to apologize, but Mogar cuts you off. “She didn’t go alone,” he lies. “I went with her. Stayed outside while she exchanged his crown for her shield. Things got heated, but I got her out of there before it got too bad.”

You try to hide your surprise. Instead you nod.

Lindsay still looks mad, but it seems to put her at ease that you didn’t go alone. “Okay then,” she says.

“We put a tracker on him,” you tell her. “If we turn it on, we can follow his movements. It’s tracker 636.”

“Awesome, I’ll go start that up then,” Lindsay says, motioning to the living room. “Just next time, warn me before you guys do something like this.”

“Yeah, of course,” you say.

When she leaves the room, you let out a low groan and bury your face in your hands. “I’m so screwed.”

“Figuratively and literally it would seem,” Mogar says with a smirk.

You glare at him, but he’s already leaving the room. “Clean yourself up. And this is the only time I’m going to cover for you.”

“Thanks,” you say graciously. He nods before closing the door behind him.

You sit on your bed for a few moments, your fingers absentmindedly touching your mouth. You vividly remember the feeling of his lips touching yours and you lose yourself in the memory of his hands touching your body as his hips moved with yours. As much of a mistake as it was to have sex with him, you have to admit that it was probably the most pleasant mistake you’ve ever made. His fixation on you didn’t end when you were lying naked underneath him. Your pleasure seemed as important to him as his own.

You sigh heavily and your smile fades.

Never before has someone gotten into your head as much as he has. It’s frustrating and annoying how much of your spare time is spent thinking about him. You rub your temples for a moment, as if trying to massage away the images of his handsome face. Pushing yourself off the bed, you strip out of your ruined clothes. You walk into the master bathroom and proceed to take a long, hot shower. The heat feels wonderful on your sore body and when you’re done you’re no less conflicted, but at least you’re clean.

You half expect to have a message from the Mad King when you get back to your room, but there are no messages on your tablet. You change into a pair of comfy clothes and go into the living room to meet Lindsay and Mogar.

She is sitting at the console while he stands behind her chair. Both their faces are grim. “What’s wrong?” you ask.

“The tracker isn’t working,” Lindsay tells you with an apologetic look. “I can turn it on, but it’s not transmitting any signal, so I can’t track it.”

“Maybe where he is right now is cloaked,” you suggest. “I wouldn’t be surprised. He seems to have a thing with technology. We’ll keep it on and if he moves we’ll know.”

“But what if he doesn’t bring the crown with him? This may not actually work to our advantage,” Lindsay points out.

“Trust me, I’ve thought of that,” you tell her. “It was the best option, alright. And he was adamant about getting the crown back. I doubt he’s just going to leave it lying around.”

Lindsay gives you a sidelong glance. “You obviously know him better than I do, I’ll take your word for it.”

“Yes, it seems she’s gotten to know him quite well,” Mogar says, giving you a quick smirk.

You glare at him, but Lindsay is too focused on the screen to pay attention. “I’ll try and see if I can find out what’s blocking the signal. Maybe I can work around it. What do you want to do in the meantime?” she asks.

“We go through CEO Ryan Haywood’s stuff,” you tell her. “Mad King may be his real identity, but there has to be something else in his civilian alias that connects him to all this. You can’t keep both completely separate.”

“Good point,” Lindsay says typing. “Why don’t you get some sleep? You look exhausted.”

“Yeah, Mantis, you had a long night,” Mogar says, grabbing a can of soda.

You glare at him again, except this time the can opens, spraying soda all over him. “Ah! FUCK!”

You giggle to yourself as Lindsay scolds her husband for not paying attention. You close your bedroom door behind you and climb into your waiting bed. You sigh with relief as you ease your sore body against the soft pillow top mattress. The evening wasn’t a total waste. The tracker is on the Mad King, and if Lindsay can figure out what’s blocking it, you’ll be able to find out where he goes in his spare time. If that doesn’t work, you suppose you can always follow him yourself, but the less time you spend around him the better.

Something about him just makes your brain not function properly. It’s like, when you’re around him, you lose all common sense and composure.

You lay on your back, looking up at the ceiling. You wonder if he has a power of some kind. It would explain why you go dumb around him and make stupid decisions you shouldn’t. You’re pretty mentally stable and know what it’s like to have someone inside your mind. While you haven’t felt anything like that, it still warrants investigating. You have some of his blood on your jacket. You’ll have Lindsay test it in the morning.

The light flashes on your tablet and you try to ignore how fast you grab it. 

This time it turns on when you press the button, and a message scrolls across the screen: _Thinking of your warm body pressed against mine, let’s do it again soon._

Despite yourself, you smile. You then curse for doing so and drop the tablet onto the nightstand without responding back.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning Lindsay gets to work running tests on the Mad King’s blood. She doesn’t have much to work with, so it’s going to take a little while, and even then there are no guarantees she’ll be able to find anything. It’s still worth investigating so you ask her to do what she can. 

In the meantime you feel the need to patrol as it has been awhile since you’ve done so. Mogar is with the other Lads, so you’re on your own. You don’t mind however. It’s been far too long since you’ve had time to yourself.

It feels good to be doing normal patrols again. After stopping a few muggings and accidents, things quiet down a bit and you climb to the top of your favorite building. It’s higher than the ones surrounding your patrol area and allows for a better vantage point.

“Lindsay, see anything on the monitors?” you ask, sitting on the edge of the roo.

“Nothing yet,” she tells you. “But while you’re not doing anything, I have a question for you.”

You hold back a groan and brace yourself. “What is it?”

“What do you think the Mad King’s overall goal is?” she asks. “I mean, bank robbing is one thing, but robots are a whole other thing. The two aren’t really connected.”

You let out a small sigh of relief. You were worried that Mogar told her what really happened. You’re sure she’s going to figure it out eventually, but not yet it seems. “I’m really not sure,” you admit. “The bank robberies on that day were definitely to tire me out before I fought the robot, but I’m wondering if that whole thing was a distraction. Every time I think I figure this guy out, he does something else to throw me off.”

“That would explain the ‘Mad’ part,” Lindsay says.

“You’re telling me,” you mutter. “He has to be planning something bigger. He’s trying to distract me, and it’s not going to work.”

“I’m really glad you didn’t go for it like I suggested,” Lindsay says.

A wave of guilt washes over you. She has no idea how much you went for it. She is so going to kill you if she ever finds out. “Things still quiet on the monitors?” you ask, trying to abruptly change the subject. You really don’t want to think about the Mad King right now, and how blue and intense his eyes are…

“Yeah, but I’m noticing some strange activity around City Hall,” Lindsay says. You hear the sound of typing. “A few men just entered the building, but I couldn’t see their faces very well and the front steps camera is acting up again. They really need to replace it.”

“Can you tell me anything about the men?” you ask. “It’s really late, I doubt it’s a political call.”

“Couldn’t see their faces very well. You should go take a look,” Lindsay says. “Do you want me to warn the Mayor?”

“Better safe than sorry,” you tell her, climbing onto your shield. “Let me know when you’ve made contact.”

You end the transmission and shoot towards City Hall. Keeping an eye on the Mayor typically isn’t on your list of duties, but he’s been friends with you and the Lads for years so you watch him as more of a favor than anything else. He can handle himself, but you like watching out for your friends.

You’re halfway there when Lindsay gets back on the com. “Mantis, I can’t hail him.”

Of course she can’t. “I’ll be there in less than a minute,” you tell her. “What are you seeing now?”

“Nothing,” Lindsay says, but she still sounds worried. “I’ll contact the police. Let me know when you get there.”

“Here now.” You land in front of City Hall and hop off your shield. The building is mostly dark, since it is late at night, but you know the Mayor well and he always works late. He’s usually the first one there and the last to leave. You try the front doors but they are locked. An uneasy feeling settles in the pit of your stomach. “Lindsay, are you there?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Not seeing anything,” you tell her, taking a few steps back. You could just yank the doors off with your powers, but if nothing is going on inside you’ll get into serious trouble, especially since you’ll be destroying government property. “Everything looks locked down. I’m going to scale the wall and go straight for the Mayor’s office. It’s in the back, right?”

“Yeah,” she says. “Hey, at least our coms are working. If something is wrong, the Mad King probably isn’t behind it.”

You put your shield on your back and start scaling the building, hovering from window to window. “Really wish we had eyes inside the building right now,” you pant as you move.

“Well, get the Mayor to lift the ban on Mask surveillance in government buildings and we’ll be all set,” Lindsay grumbles.

You chuckle. “Yeah, probably not going to happen.” You notice an open window and make for it. “Alright, going inside. Commencing radio silence.”

“Good luck.”

You switch off your com before easily sliding through the window. You find yourself in an office and quietly creep to the door. You go to turn the knob, but you hear voices in the hall and press your ear to the door instead.

You can’t make out any words, but you count at least five or more sets of footsteps. You wait until they pass the door before quietly slipping out of the room. You actually count six men, but none of them see you as they walk quickly towards the Mayor’s office. You don’t see weapons, but you also don’t know their intent, so you follow silently behind them.

They aren’t speaking, which you find odd.

A few times one of them looks back and you manage to duck into a room or behind something to avoid being seen.

When they reach the Mayor’s office, the one furthest upfront knocks.

“Come in,” you hear the Mayor’s muffled response.

Only half the men enter, the other three stay outside, as if they are standing guard. As soon as you hear a crash inside the office, you spring into action. The first man has no idea what hit him as your shield bounces off his face, immediately knocking him out. The other two draw their concealed pistols and begin firing wildly at you. Their bullets bounce in all directions as you deflect them easily and lunge forward.

You knock the gun out of the second guy’s hand and punch him square in the jaw. He goes down with a yell, spewing blood on the floor. The third man throws his gun down and seizes you from behind, wrapping his arm around your shoulders tightly. You throw your head back, hitting him in the nose and causing him to stumble. As he lets go, you roundhouse kick him and he also goes down.

You kick open the Mayor’s door. Two of the men are trying to restrain the Mayor while the final man pulls a syringe out of his pocket. One of the men sports a bloody nose and the contents of the Mayor’s office are strewn everywhere. Clearly he wasn’t going down easily.

You fling the man with the syringe across the room and he hits the wall hard, his head making a sickening crunch as it bounces off a picture frame. The Mayor breaks free and punches out one of his attackers. The other pulls a knife out of his pocket, but you’re quicker and he goes sailing out the window, sending glass flying everywhere. You rush to the ledge and catch him before he hits the ground, holding him suspended in midair.

“Mantis,” the Mayor pants as he leans against the desk to catch his breath.

“Jack,” you greet with a nod. “You’re looking well.”

“Oh yeah, except for the assholes who just tried to kidnap me,” Jack grumbles, undoing his tie. “What the fuck was all this about?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” you tell him. You hail Lindsay on your com. “Lindsay, six men just attacked Jack. See if you can figure out why.”

“On it,” Lindsay responds. “Is Jack okay?”

“Yeah, he’s fine,” you tell her. You hear police sirens outside so you lower your hand. The man floating outside falls with a crash. You’re not sure what he landed on, but you hope it hurt. You hear several officers shout at him not to move.

Jack drops into his chair while you walk over to the man with the syringe. He’s gaining consciousness and you grab him by his shirt and haul him to his feet. “Who sent you? Was it the Mad King?” you ask.

The man doesn’t say anything, so you punch him. “I asked you a question.”

“I can’t tell you,” he says, blood running down his chin.

“Well that’s too bad,” you say. “Because you attacked our Mayor, and by law I’m allowed to use any means necessary to get you to talk.”

“No! Please! I can’t tell you!” the man says. “The boss told me not to.”

You raise your eyebrow at him. “I admire your loyalty,” you tell him. “But you will save yourself a lot of pain if you talk.”

“No, I mean, I can’t say anything,” he says. “The boss…” His mouth suddenly snaps close and he looks afraid.

You slightly release your grip on him and take a step back. “Wait,” you say. “Do you mean you physically can’t say anything?” The man doesn’t respond, but his wide terrified eyes answer your question.  

A thousand theories run through your mind. “Why did you attack the Mayor?”

“Because my boss told me to,” he says. “He also told me to report back to him no matter what.”

Your world suddenly spins as the man headbutts you. You stumble backwards and he makes a run for it. With a flick of your wrist, he goes flying across the room, hitting a bookcase and falling to the ground, unconscious once more.

“Ow,” you complains, touching your forehead.

“Mantis, what the fuck is going on?” Jack asks. “Who the hell is the Mad King?”

“A new player in town,” you tell him, turning towards his desk. “He’s been causing a shit ton of trouble for me. We’re trying to figure out what he wants. Jack, do you know why he would want to kidnap you?”

Jack throws his hands up in the air. “Why does anyone do anything is this god for saken city?” he asks. “I have no idea.”

“What do you know about Ryan Haywood?” you ask.

“Haywood? He’s a great guy. He’s donated tons of money to my campaign and to my fundraisers, why? You think he’s involved in this?” Jack asks.

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but he is the Mad King,” you tell him.

Jack rubs his tired eyes. “What is this mother fucking world coming to? I’ll send all my business deals with him to Lindsay,” he says. “Do you have proof that he’s the Mad King?”

“I’m working on it.”

You hear shouts from the police officers entering the building. As Jack tries to gather himself, you glance down and notice the syringe the man dropped. You snatch it up quickly and slip it into your pocket. You need Lindsay to examine it. Technically it should go the police, but there’s no way you’re turning the investigation over to them. Jack is too distracted to notice. He gets up from his desk and begins to pace. “Are you going to be okay?” you ask him.

Jack gives a snort. “Yeah, sure,” he says, rubbing his beard absentmindedly. “No more late nights for me. And I’ll up security. Hire a private Mask to shadow me.”

“You know I will do it in a heartbeat,” you offer.

Jack waves you off. “No, no, you figure this Mad King thing out,” he tells you.

“I’m worried he has a power,” you tell him. “I can’t confirm, but that guy physically couldn’t tell me anything. I’m having Lindsay testing some samples of the Mad King’s blood.”

“Do you need access to the registry?” Jack asks.

You shake your head. “No, I feel like he wouldn’t even been on it,” you tell him. “A powerful CEO with an actual  power? It would be public knowledge. You wouldn’t cover that up.”

“Damn right, I wouldn’t,” Jack says. “All citizens in positions of power must report powers or risk having their assets seized. It’s not a perfect system, but it prevents really bad accidents.”

“Be careful with your staff,” you warn Jack, moving to the window. The police are outside his office. You can hear them arresting the men you beat up. You need to leave, or they will force you to stay and give a statement to the press, something you definitely don’t want to do. “Vet everyone. Hire new security from outside the city. We have no idea what’s going on or who may be on his payroll.”

“You be careful too,” Jack says.

You wave to him as you slip out of the building and climb to the roof. “Lindsay, what’s your status?”

There is no answer. You hear static on your com for a second before a voice that is definitely not Lindsay's answers. “I love the sound of your voice.”

Your body freezes instantly. “Where’s Lindsay?” you ask instantly. “What have you done with her?”

“Nothing, nothing,” the Mad King says soothingly. “I’m not in your safe house. I’m just on your frequency. Wanted to see how saving the Mayor went.”

“Is this what you’re going to do every time you cause issues for me?” you ask angrily, taking your shield off your back. “Call me to gloat?”

“Not gloat, congratulate,” the Mad King says. “You did very well. I miss you. I can’t wait to see you again.”

“Get off my fucking com,” you snap, climbing onto your shield. “Unless you’re calling me to tell me your master plan, I really don’t want to hear from you.”

“In good time, Mantis,” the Mad King purrs. “This is just the beginning. I’m glad to see you can think on your toes so fast. You continue to amaze and impress me.”

“Fuck you.”

“Promise?”

You open your mouth to tell him he can go fuck himself, but then there is static on the com and Lindsay’s voice comes through again. “Mantis? Mantis can you hear me?”

“Yeah, Lindsay,” you tell her, flying towards home. “Jack is safe. I’m on my way back now.”

“Don’t bother,” Lindsay tells you. “I got a hit on the Mad King. The tracker is finally working. It looks like he’s stationary right now.”

“Where?” you ask.

“Don’t you want to call the Lads for backup?”

“There’s no time,” you tell her. “He’s stationary now, but it may not last.”

“He’s on thirty-fourth street,” Lindsay says. “Looks like it’s the main business building for Haywood Airlines. Mantis, if we can catch him there, as the Mad King--”

“I know,” you tell her, changing directions towards the building. “I’m going there now. If anything changes, let me know. I’ll call you when I get closer.”


	9. Chapter 9

You touch down in front of the building and slide your shield onto your back.

“I’m here,” you say into your earpiece. When Lindsay doesn’t answer, you can’t say you’re surprised. Your coms are always on the fritz when you’re near the Mad King. You need to find out how he’s doing it so you can put a stop to it. “Alright then, on my own.” You actually prefer it when dealing with him. You don’t like the person you become around him.

You make your way up the stairs to the huge building, feeling incredibly small. You doubt it will be unlocked, but to your surprise when you step in front of the glass doors, they open for you and a cool, female voice welcomes you to the building. On guard you step inside. The atrium is completely empty. Not even a security guard is in sight. Considering how much muscle he had on him when you first met, you’re immediately suspicious.

The front doors slam shut behind you and as you spin around to reach for the handle, you hear it lock. “Fuck,” you mutter, tugging on the doors. They don’t budge. You could smash your way out, but unnecessary destruction of private property will probably not look good on your record, among other things. Technically there was no suspicious activity when you entered, and the tracker you’re using isn’t exactly legal.

You turn back to the atrium and take in your surroundings. There are two desks on either side of the room, and you imagine they have greeters during office hours. Past those desks however, several display screens hover by themselves and you assume they are the directories. Their screens are black, except for one.

“This is so a trap,” you say to yourself. Despite your better judgement, you walk towards the screen.

As soon as you stand in front of it, the Mad King’s voice says, “Welcome to my office, Mantis.” It’s not actually him though. You can tell it’s a recording because it doesn’t wait for you to respond. “So glad you could join me this evening. I’m waiting for you upstairs. The lights will show you the way.”

The screen goes dark, and the floor suddenly lights up. A green circle appears on the floor under the screen and a line begins to draw from it, pointing you in the direction of the elevators. You don’t follow it right away. You remain rooted to your spot, torn between smashing your way out and going along with him.

If you leave, you miss your chance at getting evidence. However, he was clearly planning for you to find him. You doubt you’ll get anything from him.

You can’t help it. Heaven help you, you want to play his game. And you’d be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t want to see him again.

“I’m going to regret this tomorrow,” you tell yourself, before squaring your shoulders and following the line on the floor.

It leads to the last elevator on the right and as you reach it, the door opens. You cautiously step inside and let the door close. You’re contemplating which floor you should press when the elevator begins to move on its own. You stand dead still in the center facing the door, your hands poised just in case something happens. 

You watch the numbers on the floor counter as they quickly rise until finally you reach the 20th floor. You’re confused when the elevator keeps going, as the numbers on the panel stop at 20. There must be a 21st floor not usually accessible to the employees.

The very top floor.

The elevator slows to a stop and the door slides open. The hallway is more of a glass tube, except for the floor. It is dark say for a soft light at the very end and the green path that led you this way, which casts eerie shadows on the windows. The clouds have covered the moon, so not even the light from outside is very helpful. You slowly creep forward, your anxiety rising with every step towards the office door in front of you. It’s slightly ajar and the light inside gets brighter as you move closer.

Finally, you’re there and you reach out to gently push the door open.

It’s…not what you’re expecting.

You expected an office since, you know, you’re in an office building. It looks more like a hotel room complete with a large four-poster bed. You let out a heavy sigh of frustration and eyeroll. Your anxiety is forgotten as you stroll completely into the room. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“It’s so good to see you.”

You spin around to face the Mad King, only to see him standing there completely naked, his hand resting on the door he’s just closed behind you. You immediately look away and cover your eyes. “Where are your clothes?! And why do you have a fucking bedroom in your building?”

“Sometimes there isn’t time to go home to sleep, so I stay here. Also, what’s the point of wearing clothes? That’s what you came here for, right?” You hear him take a few steps towards you and you hold out your hand to stop him, still keeping your gaze firmly on the ceiling.

“No, no, absolutely not,” you say. “Take one more step and I’ll send you right out the window.”

“Can’t we stop this game, Mantis?” the Mad King asks, his voice laced with annoyance. “We’re both adults.”

“You’re the one who plays games,” you accuse, turning to glare at him. It takes all your willpower to keep your eyes trained on his face. “I’m just reacting to your actions.”

“What happened in the construction site the other night was not my doing,” the Mad King denies. “Remember, you asked me there. You raised your fists to me first. You’re not as innocent in this as you claim.”

You narrow your eyes at him and lower your hand, balling it into a fist. “Maybe not,” you admit. “But you’re not as innocent as you try to be. The Mayor was attacked less than an hour ago by six armed men. I know it was your doing!”

“Did you question the men?” the Mad King asks, crossing his arms.

“Yes, one.”

“And did he name me specifically?”

You clench your jaw and force out a frustrated, “No.”

Ryan smiles brightly. “Didn’t think so,” he says. He drops his arms and takes a few steps towards you. “Let’s forget about all that right now. I have more pressing desires with you at the moment.” His hands gently run down your arms and you shake them off, taking a step back.

“There will be no desires being pressed anywhere,” you say sternly. “I’m here on business. Why did you want Mayor Pattillo?”

“I want nothing with the Mayor,” the Mad King says. “He’s actually a close friend. I’m sorry someone tried to attack him.”

You let out a noise of frustration and push past him. “I’m leaving,” you tell him. “This was just a stupid attempt to get me alone and I’m an idiot and fell for it.”

“Obviously you put the tracker on me to find me again,” he says, causing you to freeze in your tracks. “I’m sorry I misread your intent.”

You shouldn’t even be surprised he found it. Whenever you think you’re a step ahead of him, he’s already three steps ahead of you. You spin around to face him. “Are you really so cocky you think I would risk putting a tracker on you just so I could sleep with you again?”

The Mad King chuckles. “Yeah, I suppose that was a little cocky,” he admits. “But that wasn’t my entire assumption. I’m not an idiot, Mantis. I know you’re trying to tie me to the things happening in the city. And because you intrigue me so, I really want to see how far you’ll go to do so.”

“Don’t test me, Mad King,” you growl.

A smirk slowly forms on his face and he looks excited at your anger. It’s not just his eyes that are filled with excitement, but you’re trying very hard not to look down and have failed miserably so far. “But I like testing you,” he purrs, stepping closer. This time you let him touch you. His hands slide onto your waist and his mouth moves towards yours. “And I think you like being tested.”

When your lips meet, you can’t help but groan. Your arms immediately slide around his neck and one hand moves into his hair to grip it tightly. He growls low in his throat and pushes you backwards until your back hits the wall. More appropriately, your shield does.

But you lean forward and make it float to the ground before leaning your full weight backwards once more.

His hand slides under your jacket and sparks shoot through your body as his fingers come in contact with your skin. You moan and the Mad King is spurred on, sliding his hands up to cup your breasts under your jacket and tank top. Your hands have been stationary until now and you quickly work on undoing the zipper on your jacket and shrugging out of it. You lift your arms over your head so Ryan can pull your top off. He tosses it to the side before slipping his hand behind your neck and pulling you forward into another bruising kiss.

You kiss him back, stepping out of your boots and shoving your leggings down your hips. With Ryan’s help you’re soon naked as well and you wrap your arms around him and crush his body against yours so you can feel the heat of his skin.

“I’m going to take my time with you,” the Mad King mumbles against your lips. The hand that is not tangled in your hair glides down your body. He slides a finger between your legs and you instantly buckle. “You’re not leaving until I’ve explored every inch.”

You groan in response as his finger strokes firmly along your slit. Your head drops forward to rest against his shoulder, but he draws it back so he can kiss you again. As he continues to stroke you, your legs start to tremble. If it wasn’t for his body pressing against yours, you wouldn’t be standing anymore. When he slides his finger into you, you let out a noise of surprise.

“So vocal tonight,” Ryan purrs, his lips moving down your neck. “You’re so tightly wound, Mantis. I love seeing you free like this…uninhibited. It’s absolutely delicious.”

You let your head fall back against the wall. “You talk too much,” you pant. “Either shut up or put your mouth to good use.”

The Mad King lets out a deep laugh before pulling back slightly and dragging his finger out of you. He drops to his knees and then his mouth is on your wet mound. You let out a gasp, your hands immediately moving to tangle into his hair. His tongue works you expertly, causing your hips to move erratically with his mouth. Heat is rushing over you in waves and your chest begins to heave as you try to catch your breath.

He is tasting every bit of skin between your legs he can reach and after a few moments of the delicious torture, you give his hair a sharp tug to tell him you want something more. He doesn’t hesitate or tease you. He pulls away, only to stand up straight and seize your thighs. You hop up and wrap your legs around his waist. His mouth drops to your throat again as he carefully pushes into you with several small thrusts.

He deepens his actions once you’ve relaxed around him, and you fall into a steady pace as he takes you against the wall. All talking has stopped in favor of gasps, moans and grunts. His fingers dig into your thighs each time he drags you down onto his stiff member.

You can feel his body shaking now too and you drag your eyes open to look past him at the suddenly very convenient bed.

“Bed,” you gasp, your eyes falling on the mattress longingly.

“I like you here,” Ryan gasps, his teeth nipping at your collar bone.

As much as you like it too, your back is beginning to ache and you’d much rather take things across the room. You narrow your eyes and suddenly he’s being pushed towards the bed. He snaps his head back to look at you with that raised eyebrow of his and he fights your powers briefly. However, you’re stronger and you soon fall onto the soft bed, still wrapped around the Mad King’s waist.

“Using your powers isn’t fair,” Ryan teases. You growl as you begin to move up and down on his lap, continuing what he started. His hands are pried from your thighs and pushed to the bed. He smirks up at you. You press your hands against his chest, using them as leverage. Ryan’s hands twitch as if he’s trying to reach for you, but you don’t relent.

He took charge last time, it’s your turn now.

You set the pace, grinding down against him every couple of thrusts. Your mouth drops to Ryan’s neck and you lick, taste and nibble every bit of flesh you can reach. You can tell by the way his hips are pistoning towards yours that he’s close, so you lift yourself up and stop moving. He growls in frustration, but you pin his hips down so he can’t move them.

“Mantis…” he says warningly, his eyes narrowing. “You are playing a very dangerous game here.”

“Don’t tease if you can’t handle being teased,” you whisper into his ear, before tracing the shell with the tip of your tongue.

He practically snarls at you as he turns to try to catch your lips, but you don’t let him. You pull back abruptly and sink down onto him once more. You speed up your movements this time, rising and falling on his lap rapidly. You feel your end coming swiftly, and you let your power fade. Ryan can move again, but instead of flipping you onto your back like you expect, he remains underneath you, gripping your waist tightly and pounding up into you.

He reaches his end first with a strangled moan, his whole body convulsing and twitching as he comes hard. You follow shortly after, throwing your head back and crying out as you ride out the waves and waves of pleasure. Once you come down from your high, you collapse onto his chest heaving. He wraps his arms around you and turns you both so you're laying face to face. His arms draw you closer and his lips meet yours eagerly.

You sigh and remain there for a few moments, kissing leisurely. Ryan runs his hand down the swell of your hip. “Full of surprises,” he purrs.

You don’t respond. You don’t even know if you’re angry with yourself. You’re feeling more conflicted than ever before, but that immediate feeling of regret you experienced the other day doesn’t hit you this time. “I need to tell my friends I’m safe.”

“Once I’m sure you’re not going to use them for backup, I’ll turn off the com disruptor,” Ryan tells you.

“You really think I want them coming here and me having to explain this room, messed up bed and obvious smell of sex?” you ask, your eyebrows raised pointedly.

The Mad King thinks on your words for a moment before sighing. “Fair point,” he says. He pulls away from you and moves out of bed. You immediately shiver as the warmth from his body leaves you. He walks across the room to one of the few blank walls that doesn’t have a window or a painting on it. A secret panel slides open and he presses the screen several times. You carefully sit up, taking note of any soreness. Nothing too bad. Your back aches from the wall, but other than that you feel better than you have in awhile. “Your com should work now.”

You slide off the bed without a word and move to your clothes, scooping them off the ground. As you stand up straight, the Mad King comes up behind you and slides his arms around your waist, placing several kisses on your neck. “Why the rush to leave? I haven’t finished exploring you yet.”

You inhale sharply as his words send another stab of desire through your body. You drop your clothes again, turning around to face him. You let him kiss you, your hands move to gently rest on his hips. One of his hands leaves your waist to cup your cheek and his tongue slips hungrily against yours.

You open your eyes as you kiss and just past his head you see the syringe you slipped into your pocket earlier in the evening. It’s floating in midair, just as you told it to. You have a moment of hesitation, before ultimately making the final decision.

When the needle pierces his neck, Ryan jerks away from you. But it’s too late. Whatever he planned to give Jack is now in his system and he yanks the needle from his skin.

You swallow past the bile that rises in your throat as his stunned eyes meet yours. Already you can see whatever it is beginning to affect him as he stumbles back and his eyes droop. He gives you a hazy smile and half-chuckle. “How…” he stumbles to his knees, dropping the needle and pressing his hands to his head. “...did you know…what it was?”

You look down at him. “I didn’t.”

He slumps onto the ground and his eyes roll into the back of his head before he passes out. You quickly crouch down and check his pulse. It’s steady and after a few seconds, you let out the breath you didn’t know you were holding. He’s just unconscious. Good.

You return to your clothes and immediately locate your earpiece you don’t even remember losing. “Lindsay, Lindsay, are you there?”

“Mantis!” Lindsay exclaims. “Thank god! What’s going on? Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you tell her. “He had a com disruptor in the building but it’s deactivated now. Prepare the shed and call the Lads. We’re going to have a guest.”

“The Mad King?” she asks, sounding excited.

You look down your passed out lover. “Yeah,” you say. “The Mad King.”


	10. Chapter 10

You try not to glance in your rearview mirror as you speed towards home, but it’s impossible. The Mad King is still passed out, his hands bound by a tie you found when hurrying to dress him. It’s one thing to drag the Mad King back to your safe house to interrogate him. It’s another to bring him in completely naked. You didn’t find his Mad King outfit, so he is dressed in simple trousers and a button up shirt. 

You step on the gas, wanting to get home as soon as possible. You have no idea how long the drug will last and the sooner you get to where you actually have backup, the better.

You bring your car to a screeching halt outside your house and quickly exit the vehicle. You levitate the Mad King’s body out of back seat and walk past the main farmhouse and down a small dirt road. It brings you to a large shed, which looks unassuming on the outside, but really sits over a bunker with several holding cells. They are all empty at the moment, and you’re glad for that.

X-Ray and Vav are waiting for you at the front doors.

“So this is the elusive Mad King,” X-Ray says with an air of uncaring. “He’s not so big. We can take him.”

“Don’t underestimate him,” you warn them, floating the man past the doors and down the steps that lead underground. “He’s smart, rich, and a giant pain in the ass.”

“How did you get the jump on him?” Vav asks. You know there’s no way around it, so you tell them the truth.

“I seduced him,” you say.

“That’s awesome!” X-Ray exclaims, but you glare at him. “Or not. Depends on how you feel about it.”

They fall silent as they help you lead the Mad King into the most secure holding cell. It’s completely empty and doesn’t even have a chair for him to sit on. You dump him on the ground in the center of the room. Once he’s inside, you lock him in and the three of you stand in the hallway, looking at him through the window. He looks so helpless passed out in the middle of floor, but you’re not going to let that fool you.

You hear footsteps coming your way and turn to see Mogar and Lindsay.

Lindsay gives you a big grin and throws her arm around you. “Awesome job!” she says.

“Yeah, about that,” you say. You reach into your pocket and pull out the syringe. There’s still some of the liquid inside. “Can you analyze this? It’s what I injected him with and it’s what he was going to inject Jack with. Did you get anything on his blood?”

“No I didn’t,” she says, her arm slipping from your shoulders so she can gingerly take the needle from you. “I’ll go take a look and see what I can find on this stuff.”

“Thanks,” you tell her.

“Oh, you never said how you got the drop on him!” she says.

You brace yourself for the inevitable shitstorm. “I slept with him,” you say with a wince.

Lindsay blinks for a moment and the guys tense waiting for her reaction. Instead of looking angry however, she grins. “Good for you!” she says, nudging your shoulder. “You got sex and you took him down. I’m going to go analyze this. Let me know when he wakes up.”

Your mouth falls open slightly in surprise, but no words come out. You watch gobsmacked as she walks away.

Mogar gives you a look. “Told you it would happen again,” he says.

“Wait, again?” Vav asks. “You saucy minx! Didn’t know you had it in you, Mantis.”

“All of you will forget you know this information about me and focus on the situation at hand,” you say, motioning to the Mad King. “We need a plan.”

“We can go in and try to get information from him first,” X-Ray suggests, motioning to himself and Vav. “If we can’t, then Mogar can try.”

“You need to stay out of that room,” Mogar tells you, pointing a stern finger at you. “Lindsay told me about his fixation on you. You don’t go in there unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

As much as you hate to admit it, he’s right. “I agree,” you say, crossing your arms over your chest. “Be careful though, guys. I really do think he has a power, and until we know what it is no one touch him.”

“He touched you all over and you seem fine,” X-Ray says. You punch him in the arm and he hits the wall. “Ow! Bitch!”

“Children, focus,” Mogar says sharply. “But X-Ray’s right. You don’t seem to be suffering from anything.”

“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have powers,” you tell him. “It just means that, as far as we know, he hasn’t used them on me.”

“Guys, looks like the Mad King is waking up,” Vav says. He nods his head towards the room as he looks at X-Ray. “Shall we, X-Ray?”

“After you, Vav.”

You and Mogar lean against the window ledge as you watch the two guys enter the room. The room is wired with mics and speakers so you’ll be able to hear everything that goes on. Ryan lets out a groan and sits up, pressing the heel of his hand against his temple. “Where am I?”

“Super secret holding facility, Mr. Ryan Haywood,” Vav says cheerfully. “Also known the Mad King. Great name by the way. Totally does you justice.”

The Mad King squints against the bright lights of the holding cell and looks up at the two of them. “So she drugged me and dragged me away,” he says forcing a chuckle. “Didn’t think she had it in her.”

“We’re not here to talk about your really fucking weird obsession with Mantis,” X-Ray says, beginning to circle Ryan. You notice both he and Vav keep their distances. If the Mad King lunges for them, they have more than enough time to react. “You’ve robbed a shit ton of banks and unleashed two death robots. While you cover your tracks very well, we all know it was you. Just confess and we can be done with all this.”

Ryan looks up at them, his arms resting on his knees as he smirks. His hands are still bound tightly together at the wrist. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says with a shrug. “I’d be more than happy to talk to Mantis though, if you send her in.” His eyes meet yours through the window, but you don’t make any moves or react in anyway.

“Yeah, that’s not bloody going to happen,” Vav says. He also begins to circle Ryan, so he and X-Ray are both constantly moving.

“Oh it’ll happen,” he says, his eyes never leaving yours. “She can’t resist me. It’s part of my charm.”

“Oy, wanker,” Vav snaps, coming to stop in front of Ryan so his body blocks the Mad King’s view of you. “We’re talking here. Pay attention. Tell us why you’re being such a bloody prick and we won’t beat the shite out of you.”

You steady yourself against the window ledge and Mogar nudges you. “You can leave,” he says. “We’ll handle this.”

You shake your head. “Not a chance,” you tell him. “I need to be here.”

“You can beat me, but honestly how is that going to look?” the Mad King says, his voice dropping to a register you’ve never heard him use before. Vav moves slightly and you can see the dangerous look in Ryan’s eyes. “I went on an innocent date with a young woman, who drugged me and then kidnapped me.”

Anger flares through you and you pull away from the window so you don’t punch it.

“You really think that story is going to hold up?” X-Ray asks.

Ryan shrugs. “Why wouldn’t it?” he asks. “There’s not other evidence to suggest otherwise. The police will believe me, and that’s a fact. You lay a hand on me and that looks even worse. There’s nothing to beat out of me, so any bruises or cuts I get will have severe consequences.”

“You seem very confident about that,” X-Ray comments.

“Funny how that works,” the Mad King says. “But I’m not saying anything else until you send Mantis in here. She’s the one I have interest in talking to. You both are wasting my time.”

After that, he doesn’t say a thing. No matter what X-Ray and Vav say, he just sits there calmly, staring out the window at you.

Eventually they give up and leave, and Mogar goes in.

He has the same luck they do. The Mad King doesn’t react or respond to him. The longer this drags on, the more frustrated you become. You know it’s inevitable. You’re going to have to go in there and get him to talk and it’s not going to be pretty. You drum your fingers absentmindedly against the window ledge, trying to contain your building rage. When Mogar comes out of the cell, you turn your back on the window so the Mad King can’t see your face or read your lips.

“You know I’m going in there, right?” you tell them.

“Mantis, let’s not rush into things,” Mogar says. “We’ll let him sit in there and when he’s bored and a little hungry, we’ll try again. These things take time, you know that.”

“Yeah, with normal criminals!” you explode. “He’s not normal. He’s not going to bend unless we make him.”

“Mantis--”

“No!” you snap, a bit louder than you intend. “I’m done waiting things out and I’m done with him messing with my head and trying to ‘test’ me or whatever the fuck he’s trying to do! I’ve had it! This ends now!”

The guys try to stop you from going into the room, but you fling them backwards as you push through the metal door. It slams behind you and you keep it closed, even though the guys are banging on it and trying to force their way in. You’re stronger however, and you keep the door firmly shut.

“There’s my girl,” Ryan says with a grin.

“I’m not your girl!” you snap taking a few steps towards him. “I’m a fucking superhero and I’m pissed! Stop fucking around! Stop with your little mind games and smirks and quips. Tell us what we want to know and I won’t fling you around this room.”

“Do it, I dare you,” the Mad King urges. You are more than happy to oblige. You raise your hand and flick your wrist towards him.

But nothing happens.

You’re still holding the door closed, so your powers are working. You try again, but he still doesn’t move. His smirk widens and his eyes glint mischievously. You try again, and again, but still he doesn’t go flying into the wall. This doesn’t make sense. You were able to hold him to the bed less no more than an two hours ago. Why isn’t anything working now?

“How interesting,” the Mad King says, slowly getting to his feet. He patiently works his wrists out of the bindings as you keep trying to use your powers on him. “It seems your telekinesis doesn’t work on me anymore.”

“What did you do?” you growl, lowering your other hand but still making sure the door stays firmly shut. “How is this possible?”

“Yeah, that syringe wasn’t just a knockout drug, but a sort of…antidote to your powers,” the Mad King says. “See, I hoped you would find it and take it before the police could. A part of me really wanted to see if you would use it against me. When you did…well, you get the idea.”

Something inside of you snaps.

You charge at him full force, taking him by surprise and pinning him to the wall by his neck. He struggles against you, but your anger and pure adrenaline is coursing through your body and you lift him up until his feet are barely touching the ground. “I’m done with your shit, you hear me!” you snarl. “Why are you doing all of this? Answer me or I will beat you within an inch of your life!”

“There it is again! _That fire!_ ” Ryan chokes out, letting out a half-crazed laugh. “This is what I’ve been waiting for! _This_ passion! _This_ Mantis, right here!”

“You wanna see fire?” you snap. You fling him across the room, where he hits a wall and slides onto the ground. You’re on him instantly, grabbing him by his shirt and sinking your fist into his face again, and again, and again…

The guys are banging on the window as well as the door, yelling for you to stop but you block them out. You see red light out of the corner of your eye, and you know X-Ray is trying to cut through the thick glass with his laser vision.

“Stop…playing…games…” you say between punches. “You want to know my breaking point?” You lower your fist and bring his now bloody face closer to yours. “You just found it!”

There is suddenly the sound of something large and heavy being thrown against the door, but still you manage to hold it closed.

“What drives you, Mantis?” the Mad King asks, spitting blood all over the hand clenched around his shirt. “You just go about your business, saving people with no goal or no passion. Why do you do it?”

“Because it’s the right thing!” you snap. “Because I’m a good person!”

“Are you?” Ryan glares. “Look at what you’ve done to the one of the most powerful CEOs in the city? What do you think the police are going to say? What do you think Jack will say?”

“I don’t fucking care!” you snap.

“EXACTLY!” Ryan shouts, startling you. His hands grab your cheeks and he pulls your face closer so you’re staring right into his eyes. “You don’t care about yourself or what happens to yourself! You’re one of the most powerful Masks I’ve ever encountered and you don’t even fucking care!”

You yank back. “You don’t know me!” you scream and pull your fist back again.

The window shatters and suddenly X-Ray and Vav are pulling you off of Ryan. But you’re not done yet. All the frustration, pain, anger and everything else that has been building over the past few days, no years, suddenly comes to the surface and you fight your friends.

You send them both flying back out the window, but Vav’s super speed puts him right behind you again, pulling your arms behind your back and trying to hold you as the pounding and scratching continues on the door. You don’t know what happened to X-Ray, but you send Vav back out the window again and this time he doesn’t come back.

The metal door suddenly flies off the hinges and there’s a loud snarl as a seven foot bear charges into the room with its teeth bared. It swipes you away from the Mad King and you go rolling across the concrete floor, wincing as the broken glass cuts your exposed skin.

“Mantis, ENOUGH!” Mogar growls in bear form, standing over the Mad King to protect him. “I don’t want to hurt you! Remove yourself, NOW!”

You’re too winded and stunned to respond right away. You lift your head to look around. X-Ray and Vav are laying unconscious in the hallway and Mogar makes his form grow bigger to block the Mad King from your wrath. That’s when you see the Mad King’s hand slowly reach out to touch Mogar’s leg. “MOGAR!” you shout, reaching for him.

It’s too late.

As soon as Ryan’s fingers wraps around Mogar’s leg, you see your friend shiver and then his pupils dilate. He shakes his giant bear head for a moment, before his gaze meets yours once more and he bares his teeth again, letting out a low, dangerous growl.

“Mogar?” you ask cautiously, trying to get to your feet. He lets out the loudest roar you’ve ever heard and lunges at you, knocking you down onto your back, one of his giant paws pinning you to the ground.

“Well, that was all very fun,” Ryan says standing. You realize he no longer looks as beat up as he did several minutes ago and the visible cuts on his face are beginning to heal. “Minds are a very complex thing. Did you know that you can’t force people to do something they don’t actually want to?”

“I knew you had a power! You control minds--” you snap, but Mogar’s paw comes up to press against your neck and it cuts off whatever else you’re going to say.

“Easy there, Mogar,” Ryan says, gently stroking the giant bear’s head. “I like to think of it as giving people a little push.” He kneels down so he’s close to you. “Like I said, you can’t have people do things they don’t want to. On some weaker minds, maybe with the right wording and the right finesse you can plant the thought. But most of the time I look into people’s souls, see their wants, needs, desires…then give them a little nudge in the right direction. You should feel honored, you’re the first person I’ve ever told this to. Well, first person who will remember.”

You want to ask him why, but Mogar’s paw is digging into your windpipe and you gasp for breath instead.  

“I already know what you’re wondering. _Why? Why, why, why, why_ _?_ ” the Mad King says, standing straight again. “Like I’ve told you before. In good time.” He adjusts himself and gives Mogar a pat on the head. “I think I’m going to take my leave of this place. Now that you can’t use your powers against me, I guess you’ll just have to come up with another way to ‘take me out’. I’ll be in touch.”

You watch with angry eyes as he calmly strolls from the room. It’s not until you hear the shed doors slam that Mogar stops growling and blinks furiously. He removes his paw from your neck and you watch as he takes a step back, shaking his head. He begins to shrink down until he turns into his human self, falling next to you with a heavy thud as he passes out.

You are sent into a coughing fit, gasping as your body tries to remember how to breath properly. “Yup…” you ground out. “Totally right. Definitely regretted it.”


	11. Chapter 11

When Lindsay finds you some time later, you’ve managed to crawl over to X-Ray and Vav to check on them. They are unconscious but alive. X-Ray has a huge bump on his forehead from where he hit the wall, and Vav has one on his temple. Mogar is also unconscious, but it’s from the Mad King’s powers. He doesn’t look injured in any way. “What the fuck happened?!” 

However, as soon as you see Lindsay, you raise your hand at her. “Stay right there!” you snap.

Lindsay freezes immediately. “Whoa, hey now,” she says, putting her hands up in surrender. “Mantis, what are you doing?”

You ignore her question. “Did the Mad King send you?” you demand.

Lindsay looks completely bewildered. “Mad King?” she asks. “He got away?! Mantis, what is going on? Where’s Mogar?”

She’s not behaving any differently than she normally would be, and when you look in her eyes, her pupils look normal. “Mad King can control people,” you explain as you lower your hand. Lindsay takes a cautious step towards you. “Sorry, I didn’t know if you were…you.”

“Well I am,” Lindsay snaps, marching forward. She notices Mogar in the cell and makes a beeline for him.

“He’s fine, just passed out, like the others,” you assure her, pushing yourself into a sitting position and resting against the wall for support. “The Mad King touched him and made him hold me down while he escaped.” You show her the shallow puncture wounds Mogar’s long nails made on your throat. It still hurts to take deep breaths.

“He’s going to be so pissed and angry with himself when he wakes up,” Lindsay says, cradling her husband’s head in her lap. She leans down and places a kiss on his forehead as she gives him a slight hug. “When he sees what he did to you all…”

“Well,” you cut her off with a wince. “X-Ray and Vav was actually my doing.” When Lindsay gives you a look of shock, you continue. “The Mad King got to me. I just…I got so angry I lost control and started beating on him. The Lads tried to stop me and now the fucking Mad King got away. I’m so fucking stupid!”

“Mantis,” Lindsay says. You hate her tone. She sounds sorry for you. You don’t need pity. You need someone to be angry at you for what you let happen.

“Lindsay, please don’t tell me it wasn’t my fault,” you plead. “They’re empty words and we both know it. It was my fault. My actions were completely my own. I lost control of my emotions and I hurt my friends. Someone could have been killed because of me.”

“Mantis,” Lindsay continues, despite the interruption. “The Mad King has been messing with you for days now. He was trying to push your buttons. He was trying to get under your skin. I can’t blame you for going postal. I would have beaten the shit out of him too.”

“No, I’m better than this. I’ve never lost control of my emotions or my powers. Not even when I was training,” you tell her. “Oh god the guys are going to be so pissed at me.”

“They’ll get over it,” Lindsay assures you. She pauses for a second before asking tentatively, “Do you think he could have been controlling you?”

The thought has certainly crossed your mind. Your braining is screaming at you. Part of you is relieved that what you are feeling towards him could have been planted, but another part of you is doubtful.

You’re scared. No, you’re terrified. Because you honestly don’t know the answer to her question. “I suppose it’s possible. He’s definitely more powerful than any other meta human I’ve encountered. I mean, he was healing after I beat him, but not instantly after. And when we fought the other night he didn’t seem to heal. At least, I don’t remember him healing. He must be able to control it some how…” You let your voice trail off as you disappear into your own mind, going over all the theories you can think of.

“So what next?” Lindsay asks, her hands gently stroking Mogar’s hair.

You force yourself to stand. “I need to get out of here,” you tell her, wincing.

“No, don’t leave,” Lindsay begs. “You should be here when the guys wake up.”

“I can’t face them right now,” you admit, leaning heavily against the wall to catch your breath. “Not until I know for sure if my mind is my own. When they come to, all of you get out of here. The Mad King knows where I live now and I don’t want you guys to get hurt again.” You motion to the other side of the cell. “That puddle over there? That’s his blood. Take what you can. He made an antidote to my powers and I’m thinking he used my blood from when we fought. See if you can replicate what he did.”

“What then?”

“Once you know it works, all four of you take it,” you order, limping towards the stairs. With each step you take you feel a little stronger and a little more healed. “I can’t stand the thought of him taking control of you guys. Send some to Jack too. Last thing we need is the Mad King taking control of the mayor.”

“Mantis, are you going after him? Please don’t go now, you’re in no shape to take him on!” Lindsay calls after you.

“I’m not going after him,” you call back.

By the time you get to your car, your legs are feeling much better. You aren’t. You’re so wracked with guilt and anger, you can barely contain the shaking of your body. You climb behind the wheel and peel out of the driveway. You speed towards the city, not really having a destination but wanting to just drive. Suddenly your vision becomes blurry and you realize you’re crying.

With a swear you pull over to the side of the road. You put the car into park and press your hand to your mouth to try and muffle your crying. Your body is shaking as you keep the tears back and the sobs in, but it’s not working. You yank your mask off your face, barely registering the burning of your skin as the rubber peels away abruptly. You bury your face in your hands, the tears and the sobs coming freely and frequently now.

It isn’t just about the fact that you hurt your friends, but also because your feelings are so conflicted about the Mad King you can’t decide what to do.

Right now, you hate him. You hate him with every fiber of your being and you want to rip his throat out. But there’s a part of you that feels the opposite. Some small, twisted, masochistic part of you wants to be with him. You remember the way he said he missed you, and how he looked when you two were lying in bed together. That image alone vastly contradicts the crazed maniac you just beat up.

You pull yourself together long enough to stop the tears. You wipe your face on the back of your hand and take a few shaky breaths to calm yourself. That’s it. That’s the one and only time you’re going to cry about him. You need to get your shit together and figure out what to do next. First things first, you need advice. And you know exactly who you need to talk to.

You put the car in drive and continue your journey to the city. You haven’t seen him in years, but he’s never steered you wrong in the past. 

He lives on the other side of the city, so it takes over an hour for you to get there. When you do, you knock impatiently on the front door. No one answers. You knock louder. Still you don’t receive a response, but that doesn’t mean he’s not home. He rarely leaves nowadays. You float the spare key out from its hiding place and let yourself in.

“Hello?” you call. You hear nothing.  

Stepping all the way into the foyer, you close the door behind you and drop the key onto the small table next to the front door. You walk into the dark house, and when you reach the living room, your foot hits an empty whiskey bottle, making a loud rattling noise. There’s a yell and something hits the wall next to you making a loud shattering sound. The lights come on suddenly, making you blink furiously.

Geoff is also blinking furiously, half of his handlebar mustache flattened on the side he was just laying on. His hand is outstretched and you look next to you to see the TV remote laying in pieces on the floor. His wall also sports a large hole in it now.

“Sorry to interrupt your drunken stupor, but I need your advice,” you tell him, walking all the way into the room.

“Mantis? Jesus Christ you shared the shit out of me,” Geoff says gruffly, rubbing the sleep from his bleary eyes. “Don’t ever sneak up on me when I’ve been drinking.”

“In other words, never sneak up on you ever?” you ask, plopping yourself onto his couch. “And I didn’t sneak. I knocked twice and I called out when I came in but you didn’t answer.”

“To what do I owe the pleasure of this…” He squints at the clock on the wall. “Three-in-the-morning visit?”

“I fucked up,” you say.

His eyes widen and he picks up the half-empty bottle that sits on the coffee table. He takes a swig. “Shit, if you’re admitting you fucked up it must be bad.” He sits next to you on the couch and sighs. “Alright, lay it on me.”

You take a deep breath and tell him everything. Not just what happened in the shed, but what happened ever since the night you met Ryan Haywood. Even the parts you were too ashamed to tell your friends. Geoff sits there quietly, listening carefully to everything you say as he absentmindedly plays with his mustache. When you’re done, he gives you a look. “You sure know how to pick them.”

You groan and bury your face in your hands. “My brain is just mush, I don’t know what to do next,” you tell him. “I’ve never lost control like this before. I don’t even know if he’s been controlling me this whole time or not.”

“Well, do you think he has?” Geoff asks.

You ponder this for a moment. “Not really,” you say. “I mean, I’m not missing any periods of time, and there aren’t any memories that are hazy or don’t make sense. But just because I don’t think he’s controlling me, doesn’t mean he isn’t.”

“That’s a fair point that, sadly, not many people realize,” Geoff says before taking another sip from his bottle of whiskey. “He doesn’t need to use his powers to control you. Especially if you’re as intrigued with him as he seems to be with you. But let’s push that all aside for now. What was it that he said that stuck with you the most?”

You think about your encounter in the cellblock. “He said that I don’t care about myself,” you say softly.

“And what was the one thing I always told you when I was training you and those three assholes?” Geoff asks.

You sigh, “That I don’t focus on myself when I should,” you mumble.

“You’re always so focused on saving everyone else, you forget to save yourself,” Geoff says. “So this is what you’re going to do next. You’re going to go home. You’re going to clean up the mess you made with the Lads. They aren’t going to hold a grudge, we both know that. Then, you’re going to get your shit together. Stop focusing on what the Mad King is going to do next, and focus on yourself.”

“How?”

“Well, for starters, get proper sleep because you look like absolute shit,” Geoff says bluntly. You can’t argue with him. You are sporting some impressive bags under your eyes. “Next, you’re going to continue training your powers. I’m assuming you really haven’t been doing that.”

You wince. “Not really,” you say. “But they don’t work against him anymore.”

Geoff shrugs. “So, you don’t need to use them on him,” he says. “You know how to fight without them. And you can still use them on stuff around him.”

“Good point.”

“And lastly,” Geoff says. “Stop lowering your guard around him. We both know you can’t avoid him altogether. He won’t leave you alone, and I know you. You won’t leave him alone until this is solved. But, you’re letting him get into your head and it’s fucking you up.”

“Also should probably avoid having sex with him again,” you say.

Geoff gives a gruff laugh and slaps his hand on his knee. “That is up to you,” he says, waving his whiskey bottle at you. “Only you have a say over your vagina.”

You laugh too and lean back against the couch. You let out a heavy sigh, staring up at the ceiling as you mull over the entire situation. “You are right though, Geoff,” you say. “About taking care of myself. I need to get my shit together and figure this stuff out with a clear head.”

“Exactly,” Geoff says. He copies your actions so he’s also staring up at the ceiling. “Also you should call more. I’m tired of asking Lindsay how you’re doing.”

You look over at him and raise an eyebrow. “Okay, _dad_ ,” you say sarcastically.

Geoff makes a face. “Don’t call me that,” he says.

“Thanks, favorite drunken mentor.”

“That’s better.”

You two fall into small talk after that, mainly catching up on things that aren’t Mad King related. When you leave Geoff’s house some time later, you feel much better. You drive back home, deep in thought. Your head feels a little clearer now, even if your body is exhausted. First things first, you’ll check in with Lindsay and the Lads to make sure they’re alright. After that, you’re going to make sure everything at home is on lockdown mode.

Then you’re going to get much needed rest, and tomorrow you’ll start training again.

You can’t fight the Mad King with anything less than your best effort. If he thinks you were strong before, he has no clue what’s in store for him. You’re not going to lose control again. You’re better than that and if he thinks he’s going to break you, you’ll be all too glad to disappoint him.


	12. Chapter 12

By the time you get home, your friends are no where to be found. As exhausted as you are, you don’t go to bed right away. Instead you immediately call Lindsay to check on them. She can’t talk long, but she informs you everyone is fine, just pissed at you. Of course you expected as such, and you know you’re going to have to make it up to them somehow. You’ll figure that out later though. 

After you hang up you don’t go to your room. Instead you wander out back to the shed.

The cell is a mess.

You get to work sweeping up the broken glass and scrubbing the dried blood from the walls and floor. It’s a menial task which would be mind numbing if it wasn’t for the events of the evening. It feels good to do some physical labor and focus on something other than your massive problems.

Next you run diagnostics on all your consoles and defenses, making sure the Mad King isn’t still in your system. He’s good with technology, but so are you. Once that’s complete and you’re satisfied with the results, you activate the highest security settings on all of your systems. You’re practically about to fall asleep at your console when it’s done, but you drag yourself into the shower.

Most of the blood you wash off your hands isn’t yours and you remember again how badly you lost control. You can’t stop seeing yourself punching the Mad King over and over again. It makes you sick to your stomach. No matter how angry you’ve been in the past, it’s never been this bad. You’ve never lost control to the point where you could have actually killed someone. You’ve beaten plenty of people up. But this is different. This you did because you wanted to hurt him. You’ve never hurt anyone as much as you hurt Ryan.

“Mad King,” you correct yourself out loud. “He is the Mad King.”

Part of you knows the distinction is useless, but you need it right now.

Once you’re done showering, you don’t bother getting dressed. You dry yourself with a fluffy towel and then crawl into bed. You notice your tablet on your nightstand and turn it off before shoving it under your bed. You doubt he’ll be able to hack into it again now that you’ve upped your security, but you’re not underestimating him.

You move into a comfortable position and slide your arms under your pillow to draw it closer. As you do, you hear a crinkling noise and your hand brushes against a piece of paper.

Frowning you pull the paper out and find that it’s a letter. A cold sweat washes over you.

He was here, in your bedroom.

It would have been easy. Your lawn defenses had been lowered when you and the guys were in the shed and he could have easily slipped in through your bedroom window. The paper is yours. You know it is. He didn’t have this on him when you dressed him and threw him in the car.

You realize with horrible feeling in your stomach that Lindsay was right in the living room while he took the time to write you a letter. You know he didn’t control her because she looked normal when you saw her, but that doesn’t give you comfort. You bolt out of bed and run through the house, searching every room, closet and possible hiding place. You also check your property sensors, but they just show your heat signature.

You don’t go back to your room until you’re sure you’re alone. Once you do, you grab the folded piece of paper and throw it it in your waste basket.

You climb back into bed and purposely turn your back on that side of the room. You’re not going to give into the curiosity, especially not tonight. You bury yourself under your blankets and fall into a troubled sleep.

\--

The next morning you wake to the sound of your alarms going off. You bolt out of bed, throw on a robe and sprint to your console. When you bring up your security camera, you let out a sigh of relief. You lower your outer defenses enough for him to pass and then go to meet him at the side door. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, hello to you too,” Geoff says as he closes the door behind him. “Shortly after you left, I figured it’d be easier if I just came over to help.”

Your shoulders release some of the tension they were holding, but you still feel a little insulted. “I can do this on my own,” you assure him.

Geoff raises his eyebrows at you. “Really? And how has that been working for you so far?” he asks in a deadpanned voice.

You glance down at your bruised knuckles and gently touch the abused flesh. “Fair enough,” you mumble. “What do you have in mind?”

Geoff wanders over to the refrigerator. “First, I make some breakfast because I’m starving.” He starts looking through your food, muttering to himself.

Breakfast? You glance at the clock on the wall. “It’s two in the afternoon,” you tell him.

“So? It’s breakfast time for me,” Geoff says. He pulls out the egg carton, milk and a package of bacon. “Get dressed. After we eat, we’re doing some training.”

“I thought you said I needed rest,” you say. “I really didn’t rest well last night.”

Geoff shrugs. “Yeah, well I changed my mind,” he tells you. He places several pans on the stove. “You won’t build your stamina if you don’t push yourself a little each day. We’ll eat a nice breakfast and then we have some stuff to work on.”

“So, you’re going to train me again?” You try to wrap your head about the idea. It’s been so long since you’ve trained with anyone it almost feels like you’re being punished in a way.

Geoff pulls a bowl out of the cabinet before turning to look over at you. “Yeah, is that a problem?”

You shake your head and put your hands up in surrender and he turns back to the counter. “Of course not,” you say. “It’s just, you’re retired from all this crap.”

“Well, now I’m unretired,” Geoff says. “Temporarily.”

“Geoff--”

“Will you just go fucking get dressed?” Geoff says, throwing his hand up in frustration. “I’m too sober to argue with you.”

You highly doubt that’s true, but you relent and go back to your bedroom. As you go to your closet, your eye catches the letter again. You almost forgot about it, but there it is, just sitting there waiting for you. You force yourself to look away. After pulling on some comfortable workout clothes and freshening up, you do some stretches. You used to do them all the time when you first started out. You figure it’s a nice place to start.

By the time you’re done, breakfast is ready. You and Geoff sit down at the kitchen table to eat. He’s gone all out with bacon, eggs, toast and coffee. You fill your coffee mug to the top, happy for the caffeine.

“Okay, when we get out there we’re going to do the basic stuff,” Geoff tells you. When you make a face, he points his fork at you. “Hey asshole, you want help or not?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, alright,” you mumble, stirring your coffee. You gently blow on it before taking a small sip. “Then what?”

“Then you’re going to show me the new stuff you’ve learned,” Geoff says, buttering a piece of toast. He pauses to glance up at you. “You have been learning new stuff, right?”

You nod eagerly. “Of course.”

“Good, was worried for a second.” You both fall silent for a few minutes as you dig into your food. It’s been awhile since you’ve had a big breakfast, and the meal mixed with the company is making you feel a lot better than you did last night. “So tell me again why is this guy targeting you specifically?”

You give him a shrug as you shove a piece of bacon into your mouth. “No clue.”

“You’re so full of shit,” Geoff says accusingly.

You give him a heavy sigh. “Like I told you before, he says I intrigue him.”

“Yeah, but he also says you’re powerful.” Geoff reminds you. “So, we need to determine what all this means to him.”

“Does that matter?” you ask. “It’s probably just to distract me from his overall goal. We need to find out what he really wants.”

“Be that as it may, he’s not just doing this for shits and giggles. He’s putting in way too much time and effort for that,” Geoff says.

“Maybe he wants to drag me away and make me his evil queen,” you suggest, your voice dripping with sarcasm.

Geoff gives you a thoughtful look as he chews on some scrambled eggs. “Hey, maybe,” he says.

“God, I hope not.”

You both finish eating and then head outside. The day is cloudy and a little on the cooler side. But you know once you guys get going you’re going to warm up.

Geoff makes you run through basic drills. Floating small objects and then larger ones. Next you practice your barrier. Once he’s satisfied that your basics are still good, he makes you show him the newer stuff. You show him how you can hover, and how you can make yourself fly on your shield.

“Have you tried actually flying without the shield?” Geoff asks.

You shake your head. “Not really,” you say. “My hovering isn’t strong enough yet.”

“Yeah, but how can you build it up if you’re using the shield as a crutch?” Geoff points out.

“The shield isn’t a crutch,” you argue. “You know how many guys I’ve knocked out with it already? I can get to places much faster with it.”

“It’s a helpful tool, but I don’t want you to rely on it,” Geoff says. He walks over to you and yanks the shield out of your hands. He examines it closely before turning and throwing it has hard as he can. Given his advanced strength, it goes far and you immediately use your powers to stop it from getting too far away. “Good job. But, instead of stopping it, trying changing its direction. Stopping it is too easy.”

You give the shield back and he throws it a few more times until you can change its trajectory and bring it back to you.

“Alright, next thing,” Geoff declares. He jogs a few paces away and then turns to face you. “Move me.”

Your eyebrows nearly disappear into your hairline. “Geoff, you know I can’t,” you tell him. “You’re too strong. I’ve never been able to move you.”

“That’s because you stop pushing yourself,” he says. He adjusts his stance and plants his feet firmly on the ground. “If you push yourself, you can counter my strength. This isn’t news to you. I’ve told you this before.”

“Yeah, but it’s all in theory,” you say. “My powers don’t work on you.”

“And they won’t work on the Mad King anymore either,” Geoff says. “But we don’t know the limits of the antidote. It could just be temporary. It could only work on your power level at the time he used your blood. Who knows? Unless you try, you’ll never know. So…” He crouches slightly and readies himself. “Move me.”

You take a deep breath before extending your hands towards Geoff. You start off with small pressure on him, trying to push him backwards. His body remains stationary, his eyes staring right at yours as he smirks.

“What is this? You hitting me with the weak stuff?” he taunts. “Come on, Mantis! Show me what you got!”

You narrow your eyes at him and try again, putting more and more power behind it until you're pushing against him as hard as you can. He’s adjusting his footing, but still not moving. In fact, he takes a step or two towards you.

“If I can reach you before you knock me over, you owe me a bottle of whiskey,” Geoff says.

“Don’t you have enough,” you taunted back. You’re sweating now and your arms are shaking, but you push yourself harder. The next step Geoff takes is a little unsteady, but with his super strength he still can fight you. You glance down at his shoes and an idea forms.

You shift the dirt under his feet and when he tries to reposition himself, you abruptly try to pull him forward instead of pushing him back. You focus on his shoes and clothes instead of just his body. He doesn’t have time to adjust to the change and It takes him completely by surprise. With just the right tug, he comes flying towards you, landing with a “OH FUCK!” right at your feet.

You lower your hands and let yourself drop the ground next to him. “Now you owe me whiskey,” you say laughing. It’s a half-breathless, half-hysterical sounding laugh. You’re incredibly proud of yourself and Geoff looks like he is too as he sits up and brushes dirt off his elbows.

“There you go,” he says, picking grass out of his moustache. “Think outside of the box.”

Your laugh dies down and you sit up abruptly. “I know what I have to do.”

“About what?” Geoff asks.

“About the Mad King,” you say. “He likes it when I fight back. He likes the chase. He likes my denial and when I push him away.”

“Apparently, from what you told me,” Geoff says, getting to his feet with a wince and a groan. “What’s your point?”

You get to your feet as well. “I need to throw him off,” you explain. “And to do that, I have to act in a way he can’t anticipate. The harder I push him the more he holds on. But what if I don’t push back. What if I just…go with it.”

“Okay this conversation is worrying me,” Geoff says. “You need to explain yourself more before I have a heart attack.”

You give him a dismissive wave. “I’m not going to let him corrupt me or anything like that,” you assure him. “I need to reach out to him first. Catch him off guard."

“I’m still lost but you sound excited so I’m just going to say, do what you think is best,” Geoff says, clapping a hand on your shoulder. “Just don’t beat up your friends again.”

That night, after Geoff passes out on the couch, you sit at your console deep in thought. After a few minutes, you come to a decision and press a few keys, sending the message you have been staring at for hours. After, you push yourself away from the console and go to your room.

Your tablet is still under your bed where you left it and you carefully pull it out and turn it on. You gingerly place it on your nightstand and climb onto your bed. You don’t move to lay down or get comfortable. Instead you wait in the dark, because you know what’s coming next. You hold your mask in your hands because for some reason it comforts you. The screen of your tablet lights up as a call comes in.

You put your mask on before answer. Your face is the one thing you’ve kept from him this entire time and you want to keep it that way.

He looks like he was sleeping. He’s not wearing his typical Mad King outfit, but instead is wearing a white undershirt from what you can see. “Hello, beautiful.”

“Hi.”

He doesn’t smile, but instead eyes you warily. “I was surprised to see your message. Are you still angry with me? You have every right to be.”

“We need to talk.”

"Did you get my letter?"

The lie comes easy. "No."

He doesn’t say anything right away. You can see him trying to study your face, but your room is dark and he can only see what the light from the tablet is illuminating, which isn’t much. “I agree, we need to talk. What did you have in mind?”

“A meeting,” you say. “I don’t care when.”

“I have business in the city tomorrow night. I’ll text you the time and place.”

If he’s expecting you to protest, you’re happy to disappoint. “Okay.” You don’t wait for his response before you hang up.


	13. Chapter 13

Your footsteps echo loudly in the empty alleyway.

For once you know you’re there first. He picked an busier part of town, probably anticipating more fighting from you and hoping to avoid you making a scene. You walk the length of the alley, taking into account doors, fire escapes and anything else you can use to get away quickly if you need to. You also look out for any signs of traps, but you don’t find anything. You reach a dead end and turn to walk back to the street. It’s time to wait.

Geoff didn’t try to stop you.

After you told him about your conversation with the Mad King, he just nodded and told you to be careful. He also refused to go back home until this thing is settled. So if things go south again, at least you have someone who knows where you are.

A limo pulls to a stop just as you lean against one of the buildings.

You stare at the sleek, black vehicle with apprehension. Nothing happens for a few seconds but then the window of the backseat rolls down. “I am surprised you let me pick the time and place,” the Mad King says leaning forward so you can see his face. Only, he’s not dressed as the Mad King. He’s dressed as Ryan Haywood. You wonder if he’s being more careful now after what happened, but you squash the idea because being careful doesn’t seem to be in his vocabulary.

“It didn’t matter when and where we met so long as we talked,” you tell him.

“Are you breaking up with me?” Ryan asks mockingly.

You’re surprised you don’t blush this time. You’re too agitated and on edge to blush right now. “Thank you for agreeing to see me,” you say in a hollow tone.

Ryan gives you a sly smile. “I knew it was a matter of time before you reached out to me first. You reached out sooner than I expected,” he tells you.

You try not to sigh with frustration. You knew he was going to be this way. It’s what he does. “Are we going to actually talk or did you just agree to meet me so you can banter me to death?”

The Mad King chuckles, “Get in,” he says before the windows rolls back up.

You don’t move for a second. Getting in is a very dangerous idea, especially after what happened the last time you two were alone together in an enclosed space. You make up your mind quickly however, and you march towards the limo and yank the door open. You climb in without further hesitation. The back of the limo is roomy, but you’re more focused on the man sitting next to you. “What’s with the full suit? Kilt at the dry cleaners?”

He chuckles before signaling the driver to go. “It did have a fair enough of blood on it after our last scuffle. But the real answer is really quite simple. I’m afraid you caught me during a function for work,” he says, adjusting his tie. “Unlike you, I actually have a life outside of my Mad King duties.”

“I used to have a life outside of your Mad King duties,” you mutter under your breath. His answer throws you for a moment. In your mind, whenever he wasn’t with you he was in a dark room plotting his next move. You forgot that he has other responsibilities. “You told me the Mad King was the real you.” It’s hard to look at him without remembering him bloody, so you look out the tinted windows instead. “I thought the CEO thing was a lie.”

“Oh it is,” the Mad King agrees. “But a lie I have spent years building and perfecting. It’s also separate from my other activities. Everyone needs an escape. What’s yours?”

“I didn’t come here to talk about me,” you tell him, finally meeting his gaze.

“Then why did you come here?” the Mad King asks. He slides across the seat to be closer to you, his arm coming down on the headrest behind you.

“For one, to tell you that that was the one and only time I will let you get to me,” you say, your voice firm and steady.

The Mad King’s hand comes up to stroke your cheek and you resist the urge to pull away. It’s out of reflex that you want to. The touch isn’t unpleasant. In fact small tingles travel down your spine and make you shiver. “If you want to apologize I would be surprised and a little disappointed.”

Any other day you would be annoyed with his response. But not this time. You know he wants to get a rise out of you’re determined not to let him. “Second, I need you to answer something for me,” you tell him. “And I need the truth. No half-truths, no quips. I just need an honest answer.”

Ryan draws away from you and you can see that he is genuinely surprised at your composure. He doesn’t say anything for a moment or two, and when he finally does, his tone is guarded. “What’s the question?”

“Have you used your powers on me?”

You may not know what to do next, but the answer to this question is important. You need to know. The way he makes you feel, the way you act around him…are they your own feelings or were they implanted by him? If he planted them there, well then that’s that. You know what to do. If he didn’t plant them there…

He looks angry and he draws his arm away from you. “That’s why you wanted to meet me?”

His reaction fuels your confidence. “You can’t drop a bomb on me like this and not expect me to question my own actions!” you exclaim.

“Would that make this easier?” Mad King growls back, his eyes wild and filled with fury. “Would this dance we’re doing be over? Would it be easier for you to hate me if you thought I was controlling you?”

His anger stuns you. Surely he can’t really be so insulted by what you’re saying. He must understand on some level. “You think I hate you?”

“Is it such a stretch?” Ryan asks, his voice filled with sarcasm.

You don’t elaborate. You don’t bother explaining that you don’t have it in you to hate someone. Not completely at least. You hate what he’s doing. You hate how he makes you question every step you make and every thought you have. But some part of you loves the way he challenges you. You love the way his hands feel when they're gripping your thighs. You love how his mouth attacks yours, like kissing you is required for him to live. You love the way he looks at you.

None of that matters. At least not until you learn what you came here to learn. “You didn’t answer my question,” you tell him.

“Why should I?” Mad King asks with a dismissive wave of his hand. “If I say no, you’ll think I’m lying. If I say yes, then I’m a horrible human being.”

“You’re a horrible human being anyway,” you say bluntly, earning yourself a glare. “You’ve robbed countless banks, hurt people with death robots, hurt me! You had me shot! You poke and you poke and you play these mind games because you want to see what I’m going to do next. You go around ‘testing’ me, then seem offended when I dare to question your actions. You’re always ten steps ahead of me.” You’re getting worked up, but you contain your anger, because you have to. “But heaven forbid I get ahead of you. Now answer my fucking question!”

“No!” Ryan snaps. “I never used my powers on you! I can’t!”

His answer doesn’t satisfy you. You need to know why. “You had no problem using them on Mogar,” you tell him. “And your little lackeys that tried to kidnap Jack! Is that part of your game? You want to see how far I will go on my own before you take control?”

“You’re not listening,” Ryan cuts you off, turning sharply to glare at you. “I can’t use my powers on you! They don’t _work_!”

You sit stunned for a moment, trying to wrap your head around what he just told you. It doesn’t make sense. Why don’t they work on you? What separates you from the others? His fascination with you is starting to seem a little clearer. “So what? This sick twisted thing you have for me is all because you can’t control me?”

Ryan takes your face between his hands and pulls you close. It’s an action he’s done two or three times now. It’s like he needs to make sure you look him in the eye. “You don’t understand,” he says passionately. “I don’t just push people. I can feel what they want. I know how they will act before they do it because I can sense their desire to do it. I would give anything to know what’s going on in that head of yours. It drives me crazy not knowing!”

“You tried to use your powers on me,” you realize with a start, jerking away from him. “When we first met. When you wouldn’t let me look around. You were trying then, weren’t you?”

Ryan nods. “I don’t always have to touch people,” he says. “Only when I’m injured or have exhausted myself. I’ve developed it enough to be verbal. But you resisted. You always resist.” His eyes darken with desire and he slides forward until you’re pressed against the car door with no more room between you. “But when you give in?” He lets out a soft, strangled moan and it causes you to swallow past the lump in your throat as your body instantly warms.

You turn away from him. “Your little antidote was out of desperation?” you ask. “You wanted to even the playing field?”

“Among other things.”

You look at him sharply. “What other things? And if you say ‘all in good time’ or some shit like that I’m going to punch you right in the mouth!”

A sinister smile spreads across his face and he wags his eyebrows at you. But he doesn’t continue.

You scoff and look away again, leaning on the car door so you can stare out the window. You watch the buildings go by, but you barely recognize them. You’re too lost in your own thoughts. If he’s right and he can’t control you, why? You’re as curious as he is now. But can you even believe him? You’ll have to have Lindsay run some tests when you get back home.

This also reveals a whole new set of problems.

If he can’t control you, then everything you’ve done with him has been your own doing. You slept with him with your own free will. You're drawn to him on your own. What does that say about you?

“Is that all you wanted to know?”

You turn to look at him, and for the first time, you notice he looks slightly worried. For once he can’t anticipate what you are going to do. So you do the one thing you want to do. Without warning you straddle his lap, take his face between your hands and draw him into a searing kiss. You need to feel this now, this feeling he gives you when he massages his mouth against yours. If these are purely your feelings, no implants, no pushes, you need to explore them.

Your lips slide against his expertly and he moans into your kiss, his hands dropping to your hips. He grips them tightly and pulls you flush against him. You can feel the bulge growing in his trousers and it fuels your confidence. One hand fists in his hair, while the other cups his cheek. 

When your head begins spinning from lack of oxygen, you pull back, gasping for breath and panting.

Ryan’s panting too, his eyes wide with surprise. He slowly licks his lips, almost as if he’s trying to catch the taste of yours. His chest is heaving and he gives you a smirk. “Even if I could control you,” he says huskily. “There has to be something there already to build on.”

He has a point.

You won’t admit it out loud, but there was indeed a spark between you that first meeting. His fingers trace lazy patterns up and down your thighs. Without a word, you lean in for another kiss. He meets your mouth eagerly and you work his tie loose. He works your zipper down on your jacket and impatiently pushes it off your shoulders. 

Once his tie is gone, you undo the buttons of his suit jacket and shirt just enough for you to reach in to touch any part of his skin you can. You’re forced to draw back slightly so he can pull your shirt up over your arms.

Mouths crash together urgently again and his hands push down your leggings as you struggle out of your boots. Your fingers deftly undo the button on his pants and he lifts his hips so you can push his bottoms down. His erection springs free and presses persistently between your thighs. His hand slides into your hair. He pulls back from the kiss and his eyes glint mischievously.

“We always seem to end up here,” he coos, his other hand sliding down your neck and chest. His thumb strokes along the underside of your breast and you moan softly at the contact.

Again you don’t respond. Instead you give him a coy smile and slide off his lap to kneel in front of him. His head falls back against the headrest with a small thump as you close your lips around the tip if his twitching erection. His grip on your hair tightens when you begin to work your mouth up and down on his shaft.

He gasps as you take him in as far as you can before drawing back as you add some light suction. You repeat the action several times until he’s twitching and moaning underneath you. His fingers are practically digging into your scalp and he follows your movements.

“As…wonderful as this is…” he pants, grunting slightly as you swirl your tongue around his tip. “I need to be inside of you.”

You let him slip from your mouth. “Need?”

He focuses his intense gaze on you and grabs you by your upper arms, pulling you back onto his lap. “Need,” he growls. He lets go of you, but it’s only so he can take hold of himself. You lift your hips to give him room. When he slides into you, you both gasp loudly. His mouth seeks yours urgently and you begin to rise and fall on his lap. His hands drop to your backside and he gives it a tight squeeze as you take him all in.

It feels like you move that way forever. His mouth doesn’t relent against yours and you manage to gasp for breath from time to time. His hips thrust up to meet yours and when he draws back to look at you, you know he’s going to come. You watch his face as he does. His eyes don’t leave yours.

He crushes you against him, pumping wildly into you. Your release comes swiftly just as he reaches his end.

You slump against him, burying your face in his shoulder. His hand runs absentmindedly up and down your sweaty back.

“What happens now?” he asks once his breathing is back to normal.

You remain silent. You’d be wasting your breath if you ask him what his plans are. He’s not going to stop testing you. You’re not going to stop responding to his tests. It’s been proven more than enough times that it’s not possible for either of you.

You pull away from him and slide off his lap, moving to dress yourself. He stops you. “Answer me. What happens now?”

You look him in the eyes. “It doesn’t matter what I say,” you tell him, untangling your hand from his grasp. “Because you’re still going to do what you’ve been doing this whole time. You’re still going to test me. You’re still going to go ahead with whatever big plan you have. You needed Jack for a reason, and if I ask why you’re going to just give me the run around. So, what happens now is that I go home. And I get some sleep. And I wait for you to make your next move. Trust me. I’ll be ready this time.” You pull your underwear and leggings back on.

His expression remains neutral, but his eyes search yours frantically as you keep eye contact. Eventually he lets out a soft sigh before running his hand through his hair. “Wait for my signal then,” he says. “If you’re driven to stop me, I know you well enough by now to know nothing is going to stand in your way. Not even your feelings for me.”

“What about your feelings for me?” you ask, tugging your shirt on before reaching for your jacket.

For once he doesn’t seem to have an answer. Instead he also moves to dress himself and as you pull on your boots, you realize the vehicle is coming to a stop at the end of your driveway. Once you’re dressed, you reach for the handle on the door, but pause. You turn to look back at him to find him already staring at you intently. “I’m sorry it has to be this way.”

His eyes narrow and he purses his lips together briefly. “Yeah, me too.”

You climb out of the limo and slam the door behind you.

Geoff isn’t at the console when you get inside the house. You find him passed out in the guest room and you quietly go to your room and close the door. The first thing your eyes focus on is the letter in your trash can. You stare at it for a few moments before walking over and picking it up. You hold the folded piece of paper gingerly between your fingers, as if you’re afraid it’s going to bite you. But you can’t bring yourself to read it.

You walk over to your bed and sink onto it, trying to make up your mind. Your eyes fall on the nightstand. You open the smaller drawer and slip the letter inside, before closing it shut.


	14. Chapter 14

“They hate me,” you mutter as you sit in the passenger seat. You and Geoff are on your way to Mogar and Lindsay’s house for a much needed meeting and debriefing about the Mad King. Even Jack was slipping away from his duties to sit in, something he hasn’t done in years. 

Geoff makes a noise of annoyance as he takes a turn. “Shut up already,” he says. “They don’t hate you. No more than you hate yourself.”

That doesn’t make you feel any better. “I hate myself pretty hardcore right now,” you tell him.

“You got more information from him in that one car ride than you’ve gotten since this whole thing began,” Geoff points out.

You try not to think back to what happened in the limo, but it’s difficult. “It doesn’t help much,” you tell him. “I have more questions now than ever.”

“At least you got sex.”

Your cheeks immediately turn red with embarrassment. “Can we not talk about that?”

“Too bad,” Geoff says, shooting you a smirk. “You felt the need to tell me about it. Should have kept it to yourself.”

You bury your face in your hands, feeling the blush creeping up on your cheeks. How do you keep letting this happen? Every time it does, you tell yourself it won’t…no, it can’t happen again. And yet it does. “What is wrong with me?”

“You’re a fucking adult with a healthy libido,” Geoff says. “Sometimes lust gets the better of us. Especially when you haven’t had sex in a while and suddenly get it all the time.”

You don’t respond. You glance out the window again, thinking on each time you and the Mad King had been intimate. Not necessarily the acts themselves, but the situations in which they occurred. You don’t think it’s lust. Well, not completely lust. If it was just lust, you wouldn’t feel as strongly as you do when he touches you. You don’t even know if there is a name for the emotion you feel. “I must be sick.”

“Mantis, you’re not sick,” Geoff says with exasperation as he comes to a stop at a red light. “It’s a complicated situation. Love and hate can be interchangeable sometimes. The important thing is that you’re not letting it cloud your judgement.”

You wouldn’t be so sure about that, but you keep your mouth shut. It’s not like you would say anything you haven’t already thought to yourself.

The rest of the drive is silent and eventually Geoff pulls into Mogar and Lindsay’s driveway. You unbuckle your seatbelt and take a moment to collect yourself. You have barely spoken to your friends since the incident and have no idea how they are going to act. You take a few deep breaths before getting out of the car.

Lindsay is the one to answer the door and when she sees you she pulls you into a tight hug. You relax a little and hug her back. “I’m okay,” you assure her.

When she draws away, she punches you in the arm. It takes you by surprise and really fucking hurts. “Ow! What the shit?”

“Don’t you _ever_ fucking run away like that again!” Lindsay scolds, jabbing her finger in your face. “I don’t care what you’ve just been through! You had us all worried sick! We thought the Mad King was controlling you!”

It’s a thought that hadn’t really occurred to you and now you feel like an asshole for worrying your friends. “I’m sorry,” you tell her. “As for the Mad King controlling me. Well, we need to talk about that.”

“Preferably not on the front steps,” Geoff says pointedly.

“Oh good call.” She moves aside to let you in and locks the door behind you once you past the threshold. You and Geoff follow her through the entry hall and into the dining room, where Mogar, X-Ray, Vav and Jack already sit waiting. They all turn to look at you and you resist the urge to run and hide.

“Hey guys,” you say meekly, giving them a small wave.

“All we get is a ‘hey’?” X-Ray asks, leaning back in his chair. “Wow, I wonder what you would say if you didn’t try to kill us.”

You inwardly wince. “To be fair, I didn’t try to kill you. You were just…in the way,” you tell him. “I could come over there and give you a hug if that’ll make you feel better.”

“Oh god no,” X-Ray says making a face. “Pass. You’re forgiven.” He gives you a small smile and it makes you feel better.

You crack a smile back and relax, taking the seat next to Vav. “Are you guys okay?”

“Just a bump on the head,” Vav says tapping his temple. The laceration is already almost completely gone. “We’ve been through worse. It wasn’t just your fault. We all were pretty stupid about our approach.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t give into the voice in your head,” Mogar mutters bitterly. His arms are crossed and he’s glaring at the table. At first you think he’s pissed at you, but once his words register, you realize he’s angry with himself.

“Mogar, mind control of any kind is hard to fight off,” Geoff tells him, taking a seat at the head of the table. It’s funny to see him and Jack sitting there, almost like old times. “It takes years and years of intense practice and focus.” You try not to meet Geoff’s sideways glance and instead train your eyes firmly on the table. “Don’t beat yourself up. I have Mantis doing that enough.”

Mogar sighs heavily “I know, Geoff,” he says with a wave of his hand. “Doesn’t make it any less frustrating. It still bugs me that I wasn’t able to fight it.”

“There was nothing you could do,” Lindsay tells him reassuring as she sinks into the seat next to him. She takes his hand in hers and he gives her a grateful smile before linking their fingers together.

You see their joined hands and it sends a stab of longing through your heart that takes you by surprise. So much so that you turn your attention away to focus on Jack. “Have you cleaned out your team?” you ask.

Jack nods. “Every one of them,” he says. “Whole new staff and not a single one has been in contact with Haywood. Lindsay says she’s working on an antidote?”

“Yeah, but it’s difficult,” Lindsay says, absentmindedly rubbing her forehead. “I didn’t have much of the original antidote to work with. But, I think I’ll have a usable sample to test with in a day or two. It’s hard because I need to make sure I don’t include the knockout drug.”

You sigh heavily. Why can’t things ever be easy?

“Okay, so aside from Mogar we’re sure none of us have been affected?” Geoff asks, looking around the table.

“X-Ray and I were both knocked out when he left,” Vav says. “My memory is a little fuzzy about that night, but it could be the concussion.”

“The Mad King didn’t do anything to either of you,” you assure them. “I was conscious the entire time. You should be fine.”

“The only people who actually have a possibility of being infected are Mantis and Jack,” Mogar says, nodding to your side of the table. “They are the only ones who have been in direct contact with him.”

“I’m not infected,” Jack says assuringly.

“That’s sounds just like something someone who is brainwashed would say,” X-Ray insists.

“I would know, trust me.”

Something in his tone immediately puts you on alert. He sounds extremely confident. You are also confident you aren’t infected, but that’s because you know you are immune. “Anything you want to tell us, Jack?”

The bearded man glances around at all of you and sighs. “Well, it hasn’t been announced yet but I’ve developed an ability,” he says. “I can’t do much with it, but I’m pretty sure I’m safe from Haywood.”

“What’s the ability?” Lindsay asks.

“Empathy,” Jack says.

Vav scoffs. “‘Oh look at me, I’m Jack and I can tell what people are feeling’,” he mocks jokingly.

Jack rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” he says. “But it’s a great power for politics. And if we’re going to work on Mask and government relations, the Masks needed a little help.”

“So you decided to join us?” Mogar asks.

“I decided to show that there’s nothing to be afraid of,” Jack corrects. “And I needed something to protect myself. But this isn’t about me.”

You’re a little surprised by the development because you’ve never really pegged Jack for the person to want an ability. He’s always been neutral about powers. “Wait, when did this happen?” you ask.

Jack shrugs. “Maybe about two weeks or so ago,” he answers.

“Who else knows?” Geoff asks. He also seems a little surprised, but if he is he doesn’t voice it.

“No one,” Jack says. “Except for the ones who performed the procedure. But they are contracted to secrecy.”

“Which won’t do much if the Mad King can just shake their hand and go, ‘So tell me your secrets’,” Vav points out.

“Are you trying to say the Mad King knows?” Lindsay asks.

“Maybe that’s why he tried to have you taken,” you conclude. If Jack can read emotions, you wonder if the Mad King wanted to see if he can make him use his power to his benefit. Maybe he wanted to control Jack and make him read people for him. That wouldn’t make sense though, since the Mad King can read people himself.

Except you.

You look at Jack with curiosity. “Can you read me?”

“Why do you ask?” Jack inquires.

“It’s…” You don’t really know how to finish your sentence. You glance at Geoff who meets your gaze with a look of understanding. “Just humor me. Try to read me.”

Jack shrugs and stares at you intently for a few moments. Everyone watches with interest. After a minutes of tense silence, Jack frowns slightly and you have your answer before he even opens his mouth. “No, I can’t. I don’t get anything from you.”

“This just in, Mantis has no feelings,” X-Ray says.

“She has feelings, asshole,” Geoff says rolling his eyes. “Jack’s powers don’t work on her. Whatever the reason, it’s probably the same reason the Mad King’s powers don’t work on her either.”

“How is that possible?” Mogar asks, sitting up straighter in his chair and eyeing you with annoyance. “Why do you get to be immune?”

You shrug. “Your guess is as good as mine,” you say. “And the Mad King’s. It’s apparently driving him crazy.”

“Hence the fixation on you,” Lindsay finishes.

Everyone makes an “Ohhhh” of understanding. “That actually makes some sense now,” Vav says.

“And it gives us an edge,” Geoff says. “He can’t control or read her, so he doesn’t know how she’s going to react. He can guess and anticipate. And he’s been right so far.”

“But I’m not going to play into his game,” you assure them. “He’s already gotten into my head once and I put all of you in danger. I’m not going to let it happen again.”

“So what next?” Mogar asks.

“I’m supposed to wait for him to make his move,” you tell them. “But I’m not going to do that. We need to find him first.”

“I think I can help with that,” Jack says. “Tonight is the annual Mask appreciation function.”

“I never go to that thing,” you tell him.

“Exactly,” Lindsay says excitedly, leaning on the dining room table. “But Ryan Haywood always does. He’s a big shot CEO, he’s obligated to go. He’s not going to expect seeing you there.”

“And you’ve already declined your invitation,” Jack points out.

“And we’ll all be there,” Lindsay adds. “So you’ll have backup.”

“I won’t be there,” Geoff amends. “But I can stay on the coms just in case.”

Everyone looks at you.

You did say you wanted to surprise the Mad King. Showing up at a formal party where his CEO persona will be in attendance would do just that. It’s a Mask function so you wouldn’t have to show your face, as most other Masks won’t. You told him you would wait for his signal and you’ve been predictable enough where you know he believes you will wait.

Now is your chance.

You sigh and run your hand through your hair. “Well, I guess I need a dress for tonight,” you say. “I doubt my normal outfit will be allowed.”

“Wait, hold on,” Mogar says. “What’s the plan? We go there and throw him off and that’s it? What’s the point?”

“The point is to show him I’m done being his puppet,” you say firmly. “The point is to show that he doesn’t scare me and that I’m not going to just sit back and wait for him to make his move.”

“So basically the point is to say ‘fuck you’,” Mogar says with clarity. You nod in agreement. “Oh alright, then. I’m down for that. I’d also like to give him a giant ‘fuck you’.”

Lindsay squeezes Michael’s hand. “Right there with you, babe.”

“You guys have to be careful,” Geoff warns. “There’s been way too much half-assery going on.”

“Have you met us?” X-Ray asks sarcastically.

“Yeah I have,” Geoff says. “Which is why I’m here right now and not getting drunk in my living room room. We need a clear and concise plan just in case things go south, but more importantly you all need to fucking stick to it.” His eyes fall on you, which you are not surprised about. You do have a tendency to act before thinking. “Think you can handle that?”

You nod firmly. “Absolutely.”


	15. Chapter 15

“Come on, Mantis! Stop fidgeting!” Lindsay snaps for the third time.

She is in the process of helping you get ready for the black-tie function, which requires you to dress more formally than you’re comfortable with. With very little time to prepare, you had to rely on Lindsay to find something for you to wear. Which is probably how you ended up with a floor-length, v-neck, silk gown with a slit all the way up your thigh. “I’m trying, but could you have picked a more revealing dress?” You stubbornly try to pull the front up to cover your suddenly exposed cleavage. It’s no use. The dress is form fitting and isn’t going anywhere.

“This was the only thing they had in your size!” Lindsay insists. “You’re lucky we found something.”

“And it just happens to be dark green?” you point out, still trying to cover your chest to no avail.

“I thought it was black, okay,” Lindsay tells you. “Stop bitching. You’re the reason this whole thing is going on.”

You wince at her choice of wording. “Ouch, don’t hold back, tell me how you really feel,” you say sarcastically.

Lindsay pauses zipping up your dress, leaning around you so she can look you directly in the eye. “Do you really want me to to?” she asks, raising her eyebrow.

“Please don’t.”

“Then shut up and suck it in!”

You do as you’re told and she finishes dragging the zipper up. It’s a little tight, but once you relax and move your arms and torso, the material loosens a bit. You wish there were sleeves; you’re arms are going to be freezing. But the dress will have to do. It’s actually quite beautiful. You’re just not comfortable wearing it. Lindsay has already taken care of your hair and makeup. She insisted on the makeup, even though you’ll have your mask on. All that’s left is to slip your slingback pumps on. Those you at least had already and are worn in pretty well. Last thing you need is to be stumbling around looking like an idiot.

“Perfect,” Lindsay says. She is already dressed herself in a sleek, little black dress with comfortable looking heels.

“You sound excited about this,” you tell her.

“I’ve been trying to get you to go to this function for three years now,” she reminds you. “I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances, but hey, it’s better than you locking yourself up here for another night. And brooding. Have I told you that you brood too much?”

She pulls, stretches and adjusts your dress for you, making sure it falls exactly where it’s supposed to. You ignore her question. You are well aware of your brooding ability and you’re actually quite proud of it.

“He’s going to flip when he sees you.”

You frown at your reflection, resisting the urge to touch your hair. “This isn’t a date, Lindsay,” you tell her. “It’s an ambush.” You lift your feet one at a time so you can slip your shoes on. You do it telekinetically because you’re afraid if you bend over the dress might just tear away. It’s a silly fear but, with your recent luck, who knows.

She shrugs. “It can be both,” she says. When you give her a wide-eyed look, she continues. “I think this whole intrigue you guys have with each other goes deeper than just a curious powers against powers thing. If he wasn’t a giant nutcase, how would you feel about him?”

“Hard to tell,” you say, gingerly touching your mask to make sure it’s firmly in place. “Really difficult to push past the levels of crazy.”

Lindsay sighs heavily and turns you so you’re face-to-face. “It’s okay to have feelings, Mantis,” she says. “When you told me you slept with him, I was actually excited for you. Half the stuff he does seems to be to get your undivided attention.”

“Bank robberies, death robots, attempted kidnapping, mind control,” you list. “You think that’s flirting?”

“Hey, I didn’t say he was good at it!”

“If it is flirting, he’s fucking terrible at it.”

Lindsay laughs. “Come on, the Lads will be waiting for us. Our car should be here soon.”

She is right. The Lads are already waiting by the front door, adjusting their tuxes and masks. Geoff is waiting with them. He’ll be staying behind and using Mogar and Lindsay’s console to stay in contact with all of you. Your stomach is filled with butterflies. At least you’ll look like you belong, even though you probably won’t feel it.

“You’ll be okay,” Vav assures you. “Just stay close to me and X-Ray and we’ll keep an eye out for that kilt-wearing bastard.”

You chuckle. “Thanks,” you fidget a little. “I just wish I could bring my shield.”

“Doesn’t match your outfit,” Lindsay says with a grin.

“Car’s here,” Mogar announces as he glances out the window. “Are we ready to do this?”

Geoff extends his hand and holds out a pile of small communicators. “Coms test?”

Everyone takes a com and puts it in their ear before turning it on. Typically you don’t use the small ones, but in this situation discretion is very important. It is frowned upon for Masks to be working during the function, but it’s not banned. So long as no one causes a disturbance, the officials tend to look the other way.

You soon find yourself squeezed between Mogar and Vav, trying to calm yourself so you don’t hyperventilate. The drive isn’t very long. Your friends chat absentmindedly, seemingly unaffected by the situation. Why is it they can relax and talk like nothing is happening when there is a storm raging inside of you?

You close your eyes and try to focus on your breathing. It’s not just the fact you will be seeing Ryan. It’s also the situation in general. You never associate yourself with the other Masks, except for the Lads. Going to this function forces you to take a step you don’t even know if you’re ready for. It’s too late now.

The car comes to a stop outside of City Hall and you take a deep breath again.

You allow X-Ray and Vav to escort you into the building. Your arms are linked with each of theirs and you hold on tightly.

“Relax, I need that arm,” X-Ray hisses to you.

You wince and loosen your grip. “Sorry.”

Lindsay and Mogar are ahead of you in line to enter the party. It’s being held in a large function room, decorated beautifully for the evening. You glance around at the sea of black tuxes and cocktail dresses, but from where you stand you don’t find the familiar set of blue eyes you’re looking for. Vav pats your arm comfortingly as you step up to the greeter.

The genuine surprise on his face when he sees you speaks volumes about your involvement in the Mask community. He practically stutters as he takes your invitation and welcomes you. His eyes follow you as X-Ray and Vav escort you into the reception.

“That guy was totally checking out your boobs,” X-Ray tells you when you’re a good feet away.

“Shut up, no he wasn’t,” you say.

“He definitely was,” Vav agrees.

“Alright, this was a bad idea.” You try to turn them around so you can leave, but they force you to keep moving forward.

“Calm down, you’re doing fine,” Vav assures you. “See the Mad King anywhere?”

You have a better view now that you’re inside, but you still don’t see him. “No.”

“Ooo, free food.” X-Ray’s arm slips from yours and he wanders off towards a group of waiters carrying hors d'oeuvres. You try to call him back, but it’s no use. He’s found the food and he’s not listening to you.  

“Let him go,” Vav says waving his hand at him. “I’m actually going to get some champagne. Do you want some?”

“Please, for the love of all that is holy,” you answer.

He chuckles and carefully detaches your arm from his. He gives your hand a reassuring pat before walking off to find champagne. You’re left alone, taking small, awkward steps further into the room as you look around. Lindsay and Mogar are mingling on the other side of the room and it takes all your willpower not to make a beeline for them. A few people greet you, but most barely notice you’re there. Not that you’re complaining. You don’t have it in you to make smalltalk.

The crowd shifts a little, and there he is.

He hasn’t spotted you yet. He looks stunning in his tuxedo and you take a moment to appreciate the way the tailored trousers and jacket hug his frame in just the right way. He’s having an animated conversation with a young man with dark hair and glasses, who is smiling and laughing politely at whatever he is saying.

“Here’s your drink,” Vav says as he arrives with two champagne flutes.

“There he is,” you tell him, without looking away from the Mad King. You’re worried if you take your eyes off of him you’ll lose him in the crowd of people.

Vav hands you your drink before discreetly pressing his com. “Mad King, four o’clock, talking to Jenzen. You see him?” He takes a small sip of champagne while you gulp half of it down in one go.

“Have visual,” Lindsay’s voice comes in. “Mogar and I are moving to block the south exit just in case. Anyone have the east exit?”

“I got it,” X-Ray’s muffled voice answers. It sounds like he’s enjoying the food. “That’s where the waiters come from anyways.”

“I’ll take main entrance then,” Vav declares. He looks over at you. “Are you ready for this?”

You down the rest of your champagne before answering. “No.”

“We’re here if you need us,” Lindsay reminds you. “Just, remember what we talked about earlier.”

That definitely isn’t going to help. But you hand Vav your empty champagne glass and take a few steady breaths. He gives you an encouraging nod before turning to get into position. You straighten yourself before sauntering over to where the Mad King stands. With each step your force yourself to leave your nervousness behind. This isn’t going to work otherwise. You can feel yourself becoming practically a different person as you draw closer to him. By the time he sees you, you’re in control of yourself.

His eyes go so wide it’s almost comical.

He excuses himself from Jenzen and pushes past him to meet you. “What are you doing here?” he hisses, his hand closing around your upper arm as he steers you in the opposite direction. He seems rattled. Good.

“It’s a Mask function,” you tell him. “I was invited.”

“You declined the invite,” he says through clenched teeth. It doesn’t seem like he’s leading you anywhere, just trying to keep moving so you don’t resist. You’re willing to walk with him, but you pry his hand from your arm so he’s no longer touching you.

“I changed my mind,” you tell him. “I’m allowed to do that you know.”

“You knew I was going to be here, didn’t you?” he accuses.

He’s too smart for his own good. Though you suppose it’s not really that much of a leap. “The thought crossed my mind.”

“You told me you were going to wait for me to make my move,” he says sternly.

“Yeah, and I am,” you tell him. “Just because I’m waiting for your move, doesn’t mean I’m just going to sit on my ass. I’m allowed to keep an eye on you.”

He looks furious and you’ve never seen him so agitated. He barely looks you in the eye and you realize he’s glancing around the room.

“What? Afraid people will see you with me?” you ask, coming to a stop. The thought that he doesn’t want to been seen with you is a little insulting.  

“Never,” comes the sharp answer as his eyes finally meet yours. His shoulders relax a little as he pulls himself together. His eyes drift down to take in your appearance and you see his cheeks flush lightly. He gives you a lustful look. “You look stunning. What are you doing after this?”

You glare at him. “That’s none of your concern,” you say. “And don’t change the subject. You seem angry that I’m here. I thought that you’d be thrilled that I ‘came to you’.”

“This is different,” he insists in a low voice. People are beginning to eye you two suspiciously. You try to relax and make it seem like you’re having a normal conversation, but there is too much tension between you. “This is my work persona.”

“Doesn’t feel nice to be thrown for a loop, does it?” you ask icilly.

He looks like he wants to say something, but thinks better of it. He takes a deep breath and absentmindedly adjusts his jacket. “I hope you enjoy the party,” he says formally. “You should make sure you stay through Jack’s toast. It’s supposed to be inspiring.” He takes your hand and gently presses a soft kiss on your knuckles. “Until next time.”

His abrupt departure confuses and startles you.

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding as Lindsay and Mogar silently come to stand next to you.

“Well that was easy,” Mogar says.

“I don’t like it,” you respond instantly.

Lindsay frowns. “Neither do I. What did he say?”

You repeat the conversation back to them and by the time you’re done, you can’t pick him out of the crowd anymore. You press your com. “X-Ray, Vav? You guys see him?”

“No, I don’t see him anywhere,” X-Ray says. “Vav?”

“Nothing here,” Vav answers.

“He moved in the opposite direction of us, so he didn’t go that way,” Mogar says.

“Shit, split up,” you order. “I want eyes on him now!”

You all start at different corners of the room and do a sweep. As you glance around the crowd, you see him slip out of the hall with a group of people. If you weren’t so determined to find him, he would have gotten away easily. You immediately move to try to catch up to him. By the time you leave the hall, he’s broken away from the others and is turning a corner at the other end. You hurry after him, your heels making a clicking noise on the smooth marble.

When you turn the corner, hands seize you and you find yourself pressed against the wall, Ryan’s hot mouth urgently tasting yours. You’re surprised by the assault and put your hands on his shoulders to push him back. “What are you doing?!” you hiss.

The Mad King lets out a low growl and you can feel his erection digging into your thigh. “Ravishing you, what does it look like? I knew you would follow me. Had to get you away from everyone else.” He goes in for another kiss, but you turn your face.

“Anyone can turn that corner,” you tell him. Your hands push away his which have slid into your dress through the slit on the side.

He makes a noise of annoyance before opening the office door next to you and dragging you inside. He slams the door shut behind you. His mouth is on yours again instantly and his hands quickly move to pull the skirt of your dress up. You know you should stop him, but then his lips are on your neck and his hand is sliding into your underwear.

“I thought you were angry I was here,” you say breathlessly, your arms going around him so you can pull him tighter against you.

“I was,” he tells you, placing kisses up your neck and along your jaw. “But then I actually saw you in this dress.” He pulls back abruptly and you’re dazed and a little confused. He drags you over to the nearby desk and lifts you onto it. “How much time do we have until your friends come looking for you?”

You can hear Lindsay in your ear asking for a status report and you draw back from Ryan for a second, contemplating the situation. Should you do this? Here? Now? You came to the party to keep an eye on him. This wasn’t exactly what you had in mind.

But if he’s here with you…

“Lindsay,” you say into your com, clearing your throat a little to try and sound as normal as possible. “I’ve got eyes on him still.” The Mad King smirks, his hands moving under your dress to grip the sides of your underwear. He teasingly slides them down as you try to keep your tone neutral. “I can’t talk. I’ll let you know if I need help.”

“Okay, be careful.”

Your eyes are fixated on Ryan’s as he slides a hand up your thigh. “I’ll try.”

As soon as you turn off your com, he’s kissing you feverishly and you return the kiss with equal enthusiasm. His fingers are stroking you deftly and you gasp, sparks shooting through your body at an alarming rate. You wrap your legs around him and pull him in closer, your hands clutching his tuxedo jacket tightly.

He pulls away suddenly, yanking you off the desk. You’re confusion is temporary because then he’s turning you around and undoing the zipper on your dress. He pushes the soft material off your shoulders and it slides down your frame, pooling around your ankles. His hand returns between your legs and you gasp, placing your hands on the surface of the desk to steady yourself. His other hand comes up to cup your chin and he forces you to look up.

You can’t help but focus on the reflection of both of you in the window.

“I love seeing you like this,” Ryan growls in you ear before sliding his tongue along the back of your neck.

You have no words so all you can do is whimper. Somewhere in your lust addled brain you summon the energy to undo the zipper of his trousers with your powers and he chuckles deeply. You practically whine with disappointment when his fingers stop stroking you, but then you hear his pants drop to the ground and you know exactly what’s coming next.

He takes hold of himself and begins to slowly enter you with small, careful thrusts.

You bite your lip to keep from crying out, but it’s difficult because it’s exactly what your body wants, what it’s been begging for since he pressed you against the wall. His hand comes around to rest on top of yours on the desk and he begins to deepen his thrusts, placing open-mouthed kisses along your shoulder. You meet his gaze in your reflection and his eyes are so intense you can’t look away.

You begin to move along with his thrusts, whimpering and gasping each time his cock brushes _that_ spot.

“I want you always like this,” he pants, his teeth dragging across your hyper sensitive skin. You can’t hold yourself up anymore and drop to your elbows, shutting your eyes and just basking in the feeling of his body moving against yours. His hand runs up your spine to tangle into your hair as his mouth begins an assault on your neck. His other hand moves between your legs again and you cry out as his thumb circles your clit roughly.

Your orgasm is practically blinding. White lights dance before your eyes as your pleasure peaks at an excruciating rate. You shiver when you realize Ryan is also right there, crying out nearly as loudly as you do. He keeps moving his hips until he doesn’t have any energy left and collapses against your back, his breath ghosting over your sweaty skin.

When you come back to yourself, he’s carefully stroking your hair back into place as he drags gentle kisses along your shoulder.

“You should leave first,” you tell him when you finally manage to speak.

“Are you still going to keep an eye on me the rest of the evening?” he asks. His voice is husky and hoarse from your festivities and it makes you shiver again.

“Yes.”

He doesn’t respond. You feel like he wants to say something, but instead he places one last kiss on your neck before carefully pulling out of you. You bite back a gasp as he does, and you try to ignore how much warmer you were with him pressed against you. You turn to watch him pull himself together. You would never know that he just had mind blowing sex, except for the satisfied smile on his face.

Once his pants are back on and he carefully adjusts himself, he pauses to give you a look.

He closes the distance between you, his lips seeking yours in a soft kiss. But you don’t let it drag on. Instead you turn so he gets your cheek. He sighs heavily, taking your chin gently between his fingers to force you to look at him. “Whatever happens between us…remember this moment, okay?”

A sense of dread washes over you as he pulls away and turns to leave.

“Wait!” you says, hurrying to pull on your underwear and dress. He doesn’t however and by the time you get your clothes back on, he’s gone.  


	16. Chapter 16

When you step out into the hallway, you’re just in time to see Ryan disappear down a hallway leading away from the main function room. You hurry after him, determined to learn just what he meant. As you draw towards the point where the hall curves, you hear his sharp voice. “Your orders have changed!”

You halt your steps instantly, temporarily frozen by the sudden sharp tone. You carefully inch forward and keep yourself hidden as you carefully peak around the corner. Ryan is standing in front of a muscular looking waiter. You can’t see the man’s eyes from where you are, but his blank face tells you what’s going on. He responds almost robotically, “What are your orders, sir?” 

Ryan isn’t touching him, infact his hands are in his pockets. But you recognize his power usage instantly.

“The plan is compromised,” the Mad King says firmly. “Mantis is here. Your new orders are to keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn’t get hurt. Protect her _no matter the cost_. Is that clear?”

The waiter gives a firm nod. “Yes, sir,” he says. “Are we aborting the mission?”

“Of course not,” Ryan says impatiently. “We need the information in that lab and we’re going to get it. I just don’t want Mantis getting involved. She’s being unpredictable.” He sounds a little proud of that last part and it makes you angry. You’re now wondering if that little stunt he pulled earlier was to distract you. “Keep an eye on her for now and wait for further orders.”

You don’t hear the waiter’s response because you’re too busy taking a few steps back. You turn your com on. “Guys,” you whisper. “We have a situation.”

“What’s going on?” Lindsay asks. “I was beginning to worry.”

“He has something planned for tonight,” you whisper back. You hear footsteps coming your way and you duck backwards to hide in the open office behind you, hovering slightly so your heels don’t make any noise.

As soon as you’re sure the Mad King is far ahead of you, you come out of hiding and follow him back to the function room.

The waiter he was talking to has beaten you there. He must have taken a staff route. The second he sees you, he begins to discreetly tail you. If it wasn’t for the fact that you knew what he was up to, you wouldn’t have even noticed him. But you do know what he’s up to. And you take your time trying to lose him in the crowd. From what you heard, he was only supposed to keep an eye on you. Ryan said nothing about him reporting on your actions, so you hope you can buy yourself some time.

“Everyone be on red alert,” you order to your friends once you feel comfortable speaking again. “I don’t want him out of our sight for a second. Something is going down tonight and I think it’s here. Where’s Jack?”

“He’s over by the stage,” X-Ray answers.

“Good, I’m headed there now. Someone take over visual on Mad King.” You change direction to move towards the stage.

“I got him,” Lindsay says. “Vav, he looks like he’s going to move your way.”

Jack is busy speaking with his personal aid, but when he sees you he immediately excuses himself. Unlike the others, he doesn’t have a com and is out of the loop. “Mantis, hey, what’s going on?”

“I think the Mad King has something planned for tonight,” you say in a hushed tone so only Jack can hear. “Are there labs in this building?”

Jack nods, his eyebrows drawn together worriedly. “Yeah, but they don’t really hold much,” he says. “They mostly handle our preliminary research. From there it gets shipped to AH Labs, and some smaller labs throughout the city.”

“But is there anything in there right now that would be important?” you ask.

“No, not that I know of,” Jack says shaking his head. “This doesn’t make sense. What does he need with our lab?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out.” You press your com. “Lindsay, status report.”

“He’s still here, chatting with Bragg and Dooley,” she responds. “Don’t worry. He’s not going anywhere without us.”

This is one of those times you’re truly grateful to have your friends with you. You turn back to Jack. “Tell me about the stuff that gets shipped,” you say. “Would the lab have shipping orders, things like that?”

Jack nods. “Yeah, it would,” he says. “For security reasons they are encoded on the lab computers, and any printed information is locked away until it’s no longer needed. Then it’s incinerated. Do you think he could be after those? What do you need me to do?”

“Keep doing what you’re doing. Make your speech. Don’t let on that anything has changed. We don’t want to spook the Mad King,” you say. “He’s already on edge because I’m here. The second he sees a delay in the program he’s going to know we’re on to him.” You turn away from Jack to talk into your com. “Vav, keep your eyes on Jack. You’re the only one who can get to him instantly. If you think something is going to happen, get him out of here.”

“Mantis, he’s on the move,” Lindsay warns. “I’m tailing him.”

“Lindsay, be careful,” Mogar orders. “Don’t get too close.”

You catch sight of Ryan and it infuriates you at how calm and collected he is. You would never know he has anything planned. You suppose that’s the point. He’s not physically doing anything at the moment. The waiter was probably just one of many of his men. They are going to carry out whatever plan he has, while he remains perfectly safe and out in the open for everyone to see.

“Uh, Mantis, we have another problem,” X-Ray says. “The waiters are gone.”

“God dammit, X-Ray,” you snap. “I don’t care about your hunger issues.”

“No! Look around, genius,” X-Ray snaps back. “There’s just one waiter. The rest haven’t been on the floor in almost ten minutes.”

You do as he says and notice that the one waiter is the one Ryan told to keep an eye on you. He is getting swarmed with guests however, and they are blocking his line of sight.

“Jack’s about to start his speech, maybe they’re all in the kitchen?” Vav suggests.

You doubt it. “I’ll check it out,” you tell them. “Keep tabs on the Mad King and alert me if he tries to leave.”

“Should we stop him?” Mogar asks.

“No,” you order, marching towards the door that leads to the service area. “You follow, but don’t engage. You saw what happened last time we tried to take him on. I won’t make that same mistake. If necessary I will intercept him. He can’t control me and I fully plan on taking advantage of that fact. Heading into the back. Commencing radio silence.”

There is a chorus of “Be careful” from your friends and their concern makes you smile slightly.

The hallway leading from the banquet hall is empty and this small fact makes you immediately uneasy. You take careful steps towards the kitchen, hoping more than expecting the staff to emerge from the door in front of you. But they don’t. You carefully push open the kitchen door just enough to peek in. The food is all laid out on trays and the chefs are hurrying to prepare more. There are a few waiters, but no where near as many as before. You count at least five missing.

You close the door again with a frown and turn to the door to your left. It leads to the back prep station, but don’t see the missing wait staff. You walk the length of the room to reach yet another door. This one leads to a hallway towards the back of the building, which exits to the loading dock and more hallways.

“Why does this place have so many hallways?” you mutter to yourself.

By the time you make it to a public space, you’re a little turned around and confused. However you find the missing waitstaff. They walk past you without even acknowledging your presence, which you find incredibly strange. On a hunch, you follow the path they just came from. It leads you to a collection of offices. You keep walking, trying to figure out what those men were doing over here. There isn’t a restroom or employee lounge of any kind.

You round a corner and then you see it, the lab.

Breaking into a light jog you reach the glass doors and find them open. The lab looks trashed, but the waitstaff you saw weren’t carrying anything. Whatever they were looking for must have been small enough to fit in their pocket, or…

Your eyes fall on one of the computers in the lab. It’s the only one on. They must have got into it somehow and pulled up the digital files they needed. If you take a look maybe you can figure out what they were after.

You know you made a mistake the second you take a step forward. You hear a loud ticking noise and suddenly someone grabs you from behind, dragging you back. You fight your assailant, but he’s stronger than you and pulls you from the room.

Everything happens so quickly you can’t even process it.

One second you’re recognizing the muscular waiter as he practically throws you from the room, and the next he’s gone in a loud and fiery explosion that decimates the lab and sends you flying backwards.

“NO!” you scream, reaching for him. But it’s too late. You know it is. Still, you stumble to your feet, coughing and ready to charge in to save him.

Arms come around you again, but this time they are familiar.

“Don’t go in there!” Ryan yells, trying to hold you back.

“GET OFF OF ME!” you scream. You turn enough to punch him right in the mouth. He loosens his grip for a moment, stunned.

You charge back towards the lab, but he dive tackles you to the ground to stop you. “STOP! He’s gone! There’s nothing you can do!”

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!” you yell, turning your body and trying to hit every bit of him you can reach. “He’s in there because of you! He’s innocent!”

“No he wasn’t!” Ryan snaps, grabbing your wrists to stop you from hitting him. “He was an escape con who I hired for the job. He was a murderer. He was expendable!”

“No one is expendable!” you declare. You muster all your strength and shove the Mad King off of you. He relents this time, but once again his arms close around you as you try to go into the ruined lab. The fire has already consumed almost everything in the room and the door and windows are completely shattered. “Let me go! I need to save him!”

“You can’t!” Ryan tells you. “It’s too late. He’s gone.”

You turn in his arms and shove him away again. “You made him sacrifice himself for me!” you yell, pointing an accusing finger at him. “He died because you told him to save me! What gives you the right?!”

“It was a tough call that had to be made,” Ryan says firmly. “If it came down to it, it was your life or his!”

“You don’t get to make that decision!” Your voice is even higher now and you’re practically screaming. “Everyone’s life is equal! No one's is worth more!”

“Yours is!” Ryan closes the distance between you and pulls you against him. His lips barely touch yours before you jerk back, sinking your fist into his cheekbone again. This time you hit him so hard he drops to the ground with a swear. “DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME AGAIN!”

There’s suddenly the sound of shouting and you know people are coming to see what’s happened. You can hear the faint sound of police sirens. You turn your back on Ryan, but then you’re forced to see the fire and instead turn towards the window, leaning against the cool glass as tears stream down your face. The smoke and ash is making it difficult to breathe, but you’re not moving.

Firm arms come around your waist once more, but he’s hugging you now, his forehead pressed against your shoulder as your body trembles with sobs. “I’m sorry.”

In the three years you’ve done this, you’ve never lost someone. Never missed a chance to save someone. Your life was always on the line. Failing wasn’t an option.

You pry his arms off of you and don’t even glance back at him. You start stalking away from the fire, trying to put as much distance between you and the lab as you possibly can. Ryan is following right behind you, but he doesn’t attempt to talk or touch you again. The further away you get, the faster the tears start to fall.

“Mantis--”

Before he can continue, and before you can yell or punch him some more, your friends are running towards you along with Jack and several police officials.

“Mantis! Thank christ you’re alright!” Lindsay exclaims jogging towards you. You meet her halfway and throw your arms around her in a tight hug, too upset to say anything. She’s taken aback, you can tell. But she returns the hug without question.

“Officers, thank god you’re here,” Ryan begins.

“Save it, Haywood,” one of the officials says. He removes the toothpick from his mouth and steps towards Ryan.

“Excuse me?” Ryan asks with raised eyebrows.

“You’re under arrest for arson and the attempted kidnapping of Mayor Pattillo,” the official says moving towards Ryan with a pair of handcuffs.

“Officer,” Ryan says, putting on his most charming smile. “I’m sure this is just a mistake. I heard the explosion and came to see what the trouble was.”

“That’s Detective Burns to you,” Burnie says, grabbing Ryan’s wrist and pulling his hands behind his back. He puts the handcuffs on him. “What do you think Detective Heyman? Do you believe his story?”

“I think he thinks we’re stupid enough to believe that load of crap he was just dealing,” Detective Heyman says. “See we’ve been on to ya’ for awhile now. Ever since the Mayor had us keep an eye on ya’.”

“You hear that?” Detective Burns says. “The Mayor himself.”

Ryan’s jaw clenches and he looks towards the ceiling with a sigh. “I can assure you, this is all a misunderstanding.”

“Ohhhhhhh, just a misunderstanding?” Detective Heyman says with exaggerated sarcasm. “It sure looks like a misunderstanding.”

“Don’t try any of that mind control stuff you can do,” Detective Burns says. “We’re too sharp for that.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re referring to,” Ryan says. His tone is neutral, but his eyes are alight with anger. They try to meet yours but you turn away. X-Ray takes off his tuxedo jacket and drapes it around your shaking shoulders.

“Just stop, Haywood,” Jack says. “We all know what’s going on, and you’re done. Detectives, take him away.”

“We need to get out of here,” Vav orders. “They’re evacuating everyone. The firemen should be here by now.”

As the detectives escort Ryan away, you allow yourself a glance and his eye finally catches yours. “I’m glad you’re okay,” he says.

“You have the right to remain silent, I suggest you shut your fucking mouth,” Mogar snaps, moving to block you from Ryan’s view.

The last you see of him is his back as the Detectives lead him away.

“He’ll be out by morning,” you say in a hollow tone.


	17. Chapter 17

You’re right.

By morning, Ryan Haywood is free from custody.

Lindsay breaks the news to you while you still lay in bed.

You don’t respond. You remain silent, staring at the ceiling. You didn’t sleep last night and you haven’t moved in hours. You just keep staring at the ceiling, cursing yourself for being so stupid. Not just for your little stunt in the office, but for how you handled the situation after. As soon as you hear he was up to something you should have evacuated the building. You should have had your friends search the building.

You shouldn’t have gone into the lab. Why did you just charge in there? You should have known. The firemen say the explosive was on a timer. The Mad King covers his tracks. He wouldn’t let the lab sit there completely disheveled. But you were so focused on trying to figure out what he was doing that you didn’t think. You acted like a complete rookie.

He warned you.

He fucking warned you.

After you had sex he asked you to remember that moment. Remember that time you shared together. He knew you were going to figure out he was up to something. He told you to stay for Jack’s speech. He was trying to make sure you weren’t near the lab. He was trying to keep you safe. No one was supposed to be there. He ordered him men to leave. He must have because they were leaving when you found them. That waiter was there because he was following you. To protect you.

There’s a man dead because of you.

“Mantis?” Lindsay asks softly.

You didn’t even know she was still there. “Hmm?” You tear your eyes away from the ceiling and turn to look at her.

“Don’t do this to yourself,” she pleads, kneeling next to your bed. “It’s a shitty thing to say, but these things happen. You’re alive and he’s not. I looked him up. He was a horrible man. He went to prison for five counts of murder and that doesn’t include the guards he killed when he escaped. Saving you was probably the only good thing he did in his life.”

You don’t know if this makes you feel better or worse. You feel better because such a horrible man can’t hurt anyone anymore. But you feel worse because he got the easy way out. He won’t pay for his crimes. “That doesn’t make it okay, Lindsay,” you tell her.

“I’m not saying it does,” she responds. “I’m just trying to show you the other side. You can’t shut down like this. No one is perfect. The Lads have lost people before. Geoff has too. It’s not your fault.”

“I shouldn’t have charged in there. I should have--”

“Shouldn’t, should, could, maybe, if…” Lindsay lists. “Will you listen to yourself? We all have things we’ve done in our lives that we regret. We all have those moments where we wish we could go back in time. But we can’t. Even with all the superpowers out there, time isn’t one of them. We makes mistakes and we move on from them. It’s called living and growing.”

She’s right. She’s always right. You sigh heavily and rub your tired eyes. “Okay,” you say, forcing your voice to sound stronger than you actually feel.

“That a girl!” Lindsay says encouragingly. “Come on. Get up. We have a job to do. Take a shower and have some food. You’ll feel better.”

You do feel a little gross, and you’re sure you have smeared makeup and ash on your face. You untangle yourself from the comforter and shakily get to your feet. You realize you climbed into bed with your ruined dress and wince.

“What were you able to find out about what was taken from the lab?” you ask, going into your bathroom.

“Mogar is going through the rest of the stuff now,” Lindsay answers from your room. “The stuff I went through didn’t really have much. Jack doesn’t have a lot to do with the lab so if there’s something that was copied or transferred, he would have no idea what it would be. The researchers who work in the lab are going through their records on their end, but we don’t know if any of them are under control or not.”

You shimmy out of the ruined dressed and get into the shower, a frown on your face. “None of this makes sense,” you call to her. You stand under the hot water, rubbing your face with a washcloth.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Lindsay says. You heard her a little clearer now and you know she’s sitting cross-legged in the doorway to the bathroom. She’s done it before. “I keep trying to find a connection to all the things he keeps doing, but I can’t come up with anything.”

You’re silent for a moment as you contemplate the events. A thought occurs to you. “Hey, where did that first robot attack?”

“Um, I think it was on twelfth,” Lindsay says.

“What’s over there?”

“Hold on.” You hear Lindsay pull out her phone and begin typing away. You wash your hair as she does, deep in thought. The Mad King loves distractions. The death robot could have been just to keep the Lads busy. “Um, a few office buildings, a couple of restaurants…shit!”

“What?” you ask.

“AH Labs is on that street,” Lindsay says excitedly. “Do you think he was scoping it out?”

You frown, rinsing the shampoo from your hair. “The lab in City Hall doesn’t just ship to AH Labs, right?”   

“Jack said they have a couple labs throughout the city,” Lindsay says. “Why? What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking whatever he was looking for at AH Labs he has already,” you tell her. “We just assumed he was after AH Labs because it’s the bigger lab. Is there a lab where I fought my robot?”

“That’s a good question,” Lindsay says. “I’ll look it up while I check on how Mogar is doing. When you finish showering there’s food in the kitchen.”

She leaves you alone with your thoughts as you try to scrub away the feeling of the Mad King’s hands on you. He made you think he wanted you. He made you think he loved being with you. In reality it was just another one of his tests. He was just trying to blindside you. And he succeeded.

Your brain is fried. You can’t think straight. You keep going over the facts in your head but they all seem random and don’t make sense. You need to clear your head. You need to take a few hours to focus on yourself. It’s too bad you don’t have that luxury.

You finish showering and dressing before seeking out the food Lindsay promised.

On your way to the kitchen, Lindsay announces that there is a lab on the street you fought the robot and she’s waiting for permission to access their records to see if anything was taken. While she’s doing that, you grab your plate of food from the kitchen before returning to the living room.

“Where’s Geoff?” you asked.

“He’s passed out in the guest room,” Mogar says as you dig into your breakfast. “He spent all night pulling strings and trying to get the Mad King to stay put in jail, but it was a no go.”

You bite back a sigh and instead take a bite of toast. You can tell Mogar is agitated. “What are your thoughts on this?”

He throws his hands up. “I just think he’s batshit crazy,” he says. “Fuck if I know what he’s doing. He’s not after just information. Whatever he’s after, I say it’s a weapon of some kind.”

“How did you come to that conclusion?” you ask.

“From what I’m reading, there has been some really bad shit that’s come through those labs,” Mogar says, motioning to the screen he was just studying. “Pretty much everything we’ve confiscated from villains over the years. Guns, lasers, bombs, robots, grenades…”

“I hadn’t thought about that,” you admit. Suddenly your plate of food doesn’t look as appetizing. You put your fork down. “Okay, so we say he’s after a weapon. Where does kidnapping Jack fit into this?”

“I don’t think it does,” Mogar says. “I mean, you said it yourself, he was probably hoping Jack can read you. Maybe that’s just part of his obsession with you.”

“They’re obsessed with each other,” Lindsay corrects. She shoots you a pointed look, as if daring you to disagree. You don’t. Instead you put your plate off to the side.

“I think I have him figured out and then something else comes along that just shatters everything. I feel like I’m going crazy,” you tell them, burying your face in your hands.

“Because he wants you to feel that way,” Mogar says. “Mantis, this is bigger than anything you’ve ever had to deal with. Do you want the Lads to take over?”

You jerk your head up to glare at him. “I can handle it.”

“Well obviously you can’t,” Mogar says angrily.

“Mogar--”

“No, Lindsay! Look at her!” Mogar says motioning to you. “She can barely stay awake! He’s messing with her head and I don’t want her to get hurt again because of this asshole. She could have died last night!”

“She knows the risks,” Lindsay says, coming to your defense. “You all do. If it wasn’t for Mantis we wouldn’t even know half of what we do about the Mad King.”

“Yeah, and how did she get that information?” Mogar asks.

“Stop talking about me like I’m not here!” you snap.

“Well act like you’re present and I won’t have to!” Mogar comes back at you. He’s reaching the end of his patience and you can see him shaking slightly. “Stop thinking about him as the guy that fucks you and think of him as the asshole who gets people hurt and controls minds!”

You slowly get to your feet, your hands balling into fists. “You’re way out of line,” you tell him, trying to keep your voice steady. You’re too tired to have this fight. You’re too exhausted to defend yourself and your actions. You don’t even know if you want to. “I suggest you walk away right now.”

“Why? Because you don’t like what I’m saying?” Mogar asks. “Too bad! You have to hear it!”

“I really don’t.”

You don’t even let him continue before you storm off back to your room and slam the door.

\--

You miss patrols. You miss doing them every night. You miss your routine.

Mogar is still pissed at you, and you still feel like smacking him. Hence the patrols. You need to get out of the house and away from everything for a bit to clear your head. You barely say a word to them as you leave. Instead you pick up your shield, mutter a hasty goodbye and leave. You don’t bother driving. Instead you fly on your shield, something you haven’t done in a little bit. The cold air whipping past you actually makes you feel a lot better.

When you get to the city, you immediately head for your favorite rooftop. It feels nice to be there again. After sitting with your legs over the side of the building, you hold your shield between your hands, absentmindedly running your hands along the smooth edges. The cool metal feels comforting.

“I knew I’d find you here.”

You look skyward and curse at whatever diety that there may be. Out loud you give a terse, “Leave me alone.”

The Mad King sits down next to you and you resist the urge to hit him with your shield. “You know I can’t do that,” he says.

“How did you get released?”

“Lack of physical evidence,” he tells you. You’re not really surprised by the answer. “Also, it didn’t help that there was even the slightest bit of doubt in my guilt. No matter how small, you can always build on and emotion. Also those detectives are idiots.”

You make a noise of disgust and purposely ignore his gaze. You put your shield onto your back and stand. It’s suddenly too crowded for your liking and you need to be anywhere but there. You turn and start to walk away.

“You have to talk to me eventually,” the Mad King says, following after you.

“See, that’s where you’re wrong,” you tell him, not even sparing him a glance. Why does everyone think you have to listen to a damn thing they say? “I’m patrolling. This conversation is over. Besides I already know how this is going to go. I have no interest in talking with a murderer.”

“I didn’t murder that man! I don’t murder people,” the Mad King says firmly. “Well, I haven’t in a long time. I just sometimes put them in a position where they die.”

“It’s the same fucking thing!”

“Look! It was a tough call but I made it!” Ryan snaps. The change in tone makes you stop in your tracks and whip your head around to look at him. “Sometimes life does that to you and you have to suck it up and deal with it.”

“There’s always another option!” you snap. “Sacrificing someone is never the answer!”

“It was your life or his,” Ryan reminds you firmly. “Your life is worth more than his ever would have been. I could lose him, I couldn’t lose you!”

“Lose me? You act like you have me!” you yell. “I’m the one who chooses when to put my life on the line. If it comes down to it, I will make the choice to sacrifice myself to save someone every time!”

“Why are you so stubborn?” Ryan asks, running his hands through his hair with frustration. “Things aren’t always so black and white. There isn’t always a right answer.”

“Yes there is!”

His eyes are on fire as he stares you down. “One day soon you’re going to have to make that hard choice,” he says, pointing at you. “You can pretend otherwise, but it’s going to happen. What will you do then? Argue with it?”

“If it comes to it, I will make the fucking choice my way!” you declare. “Not yours!”

He glances over to the side and you realize that during your talk he’s become dangerously close to the edge. He takes a few steps towards it and peeks over at the street below. “How far up do you think we are?”

You don’t like his tone, or his question. “Get away from the ledge,” you order him, taking a step or two in his direction.

He doesn’t answer you. Instead he steps right on the ledge with his back facing the open air. Your heart is pounding in your chest but you’re afraid to move. “How’s your flying doing?”

“You know I can’t fly!” you snap. “I can only hover. Now cut the shit! Get away from there. If you fall, my powers don’t work on you.”

He gives a nonchalant shrug. “Then your choice is simple isn’t it?”

“Don’t you fucking dare--”

He takes a step backwards and then he’s gone over the edge. You dash after him and jump without hesitation.


	18. Chapter 18

All you can see is him falling in front of you.

You straighten your body, trying to focus your powers on yourself to give you some direction and speed. You catch up to him and wrap your arms around his body and clinging to him tightly, shutting your eyes. His arms come around you and his hold is just as intense. The next thing you know, you feel something seem to snap inside of you and you’re floating. You crack your eye open and buildings are flying past you.

Nope, still falling, just, a different way.

The ground is coming up fast and you manage to pull up before hitting it. You intend to land, but you can’t stop and you go shooting back upwards. Now you’re spiraling through the air, completely out of control. Ryan clings to you tightly, his face buried in your neck.

You fly in sporadic bursts, trying to direct you and the Mad King away from the surrounding buildings.

You hit a few of them along the way and you open your eyes to try to make sense of the world spinning around you. You manage to figure out where you are and aim for Central Park. You land roughly on the soft grass, bouncing a few times. The force separates you and Ryan. You both go rolling away from each other and your shield flies off your back to land a few feet away. Your body is trembling from adrenaline and the physical exertion you just put it through.

That doesn’t stop you from pushing yourself to your feet as soon as your head stops spinning.

“ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?!” you scream, stumbling over to Ryan. Your steps are unsteady though and you end up swerving a little as he also tries to get to his feet. Once he does, you’re right in front of him and you punch him in the mouth, sending both of you back onto the ground.

“Stop doing that!” he exclaims, laying flat on his back. His hand reaches up to work his bruised jaw.

“I’ll stop punching you when you stop deserving it!” you yell trying to get back up. Instead, he grabs your hand and pulls you down with a crazed laugh.

“Aww, you do care,” he says.

“Wrong!” you snap. “I don’t leave people behind to die. No matter how much they have it coming.”

He rolls over on top of you, his eyes sparkling. “You did it! You flew!” he exclaims excitedly. “You could have used your shield to catch me, but you didn’t. You just jumped after me.” He tries to lean down to kiss you but you roll him onto his back again, pinning him to the ground and trying to punch or slap him. You’re not sure which. He dodges your attacks, still laughing.

“We could have both died! I almost broke my arms trying to hold onto you!” you tell him. “Do you know how heavy you are? Flying doesn’t automatically equal superstrength, you asshole!”

“But you flew and without your shield!”

He doesn’t get it.

He put both your lives in danger _again_ and he still doesn’t seem to understand. You make a noise of disgust. “That is _it!_ ” you snap. You push yourself off of him and begin to stalk away. Well try to. Your legs still are unsteady and your equilibrium is off. “If this keeps going I think I’m going to have a heart attack. I’m done with you. I’m done with whatever you call this. ”

“Mantis, don’t. Come on,” Ryan says, jogging to catch up to you. “I was trying to show you what you’re capable of. You’re so powerful. I knew you had it in you! I knew you could--”

You spin around and raise your fist. This time he actually flinches and covers his face, anticipating your punch. Except you don’t follow through. You contain yourself and jab your finger into his cheek. “Stop!” you order. “Will you just fucking stop already? I told you I don’t want to play this game with you! You keep saying you know so many things about me. But you don’t!”

“I know more about you than you do,” the Mad King counters. “I’m just trying to--”

“No! Stop! Don’t you see I don’t _care_! I don’t fucking care what you think you know about me!” you cut him off. “I don’t want to do this thing anymore. I don’t want to see you anymore! From now on, unless I’m beating the crap out of you, you can just fuck off!”

“You don’t mean that,” the Mad King says, pushing your hand out of his face. “I’ve seen the way you look at me. You need me just as much as I need you.” He tries to put his arms around you, but this time you don’t relent.

“I said, enough!” you snap, pushing him away.

He seems stunned for a moment and he lowers his arms. “Wait…you’re serious?”

“Of course I’m fucking serious!” you snap. “I’m always serious!”

“I thought you were just--”

“I don’t care what you thought!” you snap, cutting him off. “This, _thing_ between us? Whatever you want to call it…it’s insane! It’s psychotic! You push me, I push you. We do this little dance back and forth and I’m sick of it! I’m tired! I can’t do this anymore. I know you’re just trying to distract me from whatever master plan you have and I’ve let it go on for far too long. I’m putting an end to it! Here and now!”

“To what? The plan or distraction?”

“Both,” you respond instantly. “This is your one chance right here and now to end this peacefully, because the second I leave here, I’m done playing nice. Tell me what you have planned.”

Ryan stands there stunned for a moment, as if he can’t wrap his head around what you’re saying. He crosses his arms across his chest and stares you down. “You haven’t figured it out already?”

“I know the death robots were to keep us busy while you stole from the labs,” you tell him.

“Stole what?” he demands.

“A weapon of some kind. Maybe multiple weapons,” you say. “Tell me what they are for!”

“If I did steal a weapon or two,” Ryan says. “What could that possibly be for?”

“That’s what I’m asking you,” you say sharply. “Cut the shit. Now, I’m asking you one more time. What are you planning?”

The Mad King remains silent. His eyes pierce into yours and you watch his expression harden, so much so that it takes you aback a little and you take a step away from him. He looks furious and you can see him clench his jaw tight for a moment.

“I’m not going to tell you,” he declares after a few moments. “If you’re so smart, if you’re so much _better_ than me, figure it out on your own. You want to stop me? Than stop talking about it and actually do it!”

You take a deep breath to keep your emotions in check. “Fine,” you say. “If that’s how you want to play it, then that’s how we’re going to play it. The next time we see each other, it will be because I’m coming to stop you. You better watch your back.”

You muster up your remaining strength and turn to leave. Your shield comes flying towards you and you hop onto it.

“That’s it?” Ryan calls, following after you. “After everything we’ve been through together? You’re just walking away.”

“'Been through together?'” you repeat, spinning around to stare at him. “You mean the dangerous situations _you_ put us in?”

“I meant every time I’ve been inside of you,” he says huskily, closing the distance between you and pulling you down off your shield and flush against his body. “I mean every kiss and look we’ve shared, every lick, every taste, every hip thrust and gasp and moan…”

You draw away, but his arms are locked around your waist and you can’t get very far. “The sex was a mistake.”

“Every single time?”

“Every…single…time.”  

His expression softens slightly. “You don’t mean that.”

“That’s the second time you’ve told me I don’t mean what I’m saying,” you tell him.

“Because I don’t believe you!”

You don’t mean it. Not really. Because every time you two have been together is better than the last. Every time, he fills you so completely you can’t help but scream his name. The way he looks at you while he’s inside of you makes it seem like he’s mesmerized by what he sees. His touch has made you feel more alive than you’ve felt in years. But that doesn’t make what he’s doing okay.

Just because he makes you feel good doesn’t excuse what he’s done.

“I have to mean it,” you say, choking back tears. You told yourself you would only cry over him that one time. Last night you cried when that man sacrificed himself. You can’t do it again.

“Why?” Ryan demands. “Why do you have to mean it? Why can’t you just admit that there’s more here?”

You pry his hands off your hips and step back up onto your shield. “I don’t know what more you think there is,” you tell him. “But I just don’t care anymore. I’m going home.”

“Before you do,” Ryan says, making you stop yet again. You sigh with frustration. “I ask that you do just one thing.”

“What?”

“Kiss me,” Ryan says taking a desperate step towards you. You give him an exasperated look. “Just one more time. Kiss me and then tell me you can just walk away from this.”

You don’t respond. He watches you, and for the first time since you met, you can see genuine distress on his face. Which makes your response hurt even more. Because you know if you kiss him, your resolve with falter and you can't afford for it to. 

“No.”

Out of all the things you’ve done in your career as a Mask, turning your back on the Mad King is the hardest. You maneuver your shield around and slowly start to hover away. You tell yourself you’re building momentum before you take off. But you know that’s a lie. You’re waiting for him to stop you again, because part of you wants him to stop you.

But he doesn’t.

He doesn’t call your name. He doesn’t rush after you or try to convince you to stay again. You feel his eyes on your back as you rise higher in the air.

You want to cry. The entire flight back home you want to just stop somewhere secluded and sob. But you hold it in and eventually the tears just go away.

When you get home, Geoff is sitting at the kitchen table eating.

“Hey,” he says, nodding his head towards you. “Lindsay and Mogar left some notes for you on your console. I don’t know what you guys were yelling about earlier but I hope you feel better about yourself.” When he sees the look on your face, his gives you a concerned look. “What’s wrong?”

“The Mad King declined my offer for a peaceful resolution,” you tell him, dropping into the chair across the table from him. You take your mask off as you open the cabinet from across the room and summon a bottle of the strongest alcohol you have. It drops on the table with a loud clang and you don’t even look to see what it is before you open it and take a swig.

“Well, we figured that was going to be the case,” Geoff says, taking a bite of his dinner.

“Yeah,” you say softly, twirling the bottle around and watching the liquid inside swirl as you do.

“Then why are you acting like you just had a bad break up?” Geoff asks. You meet his gaze then and he nods with understanding. “Because essentially you did…”

“We weren’t together so we didn’t have a breakup,” you say, your fingers drawing imaginary lines on the bottle.

“Yeah but you had sex,” Geoff says. “There was some emotion in that. Wasn't there?”

“Yeah, yeah there was emotion,” you admit. You take another swig from the bottle. “Am I weak, Geoff?” It’s a question that has been plaguing you since this whole thing began, one you’ve tried desperately to answer on your own and haven’t been able to. “I always thought I was strong. But he found a weakness in me and he exploited it. Though I guess the weakness was him.”

“Listen,” Geoff says, placing his hand on top of yours to stop you from taking another drink. “Just because you have a weakness, doesn’t mean you’re weak. Everyone has weaknesses. I don’t know what it is about the Mad King that makes you jump into bed with him. I really don’t want to know. But despite all that you’re still willing to punch the fucker in the face. You’re constantly go back out there to fight him, despite whatever feelings you have for him. You’re strong as fuck.”

You can’t help but give Geoff a small smile, but it doesn’t last. “So what do I do?”

Geoff sighs and takes the bottle of alcohol from you. “Go get some sleep,” he says.

“That’s not what I meant.” You don’t even know if you can sleep. You barely have in days.

“I know what you meant,” Geoff says softly. “But I can’t give you that answer.”

You sigh heavily and push yourself up out of the chair. “Good night, Geoff,” you say, rubbing your tired eyes.

“Good night, Mantis.”

In your room, you strip down to your underwear and crawl into bed. Your eyes fall on the tablet, though you don’t expect a message from him. You realize after a few minutes that you’re _waiting_ for a message. So you shove it under your bed to put it out of sight. You throw your pillow over your head, blocking out the world as you succumb to the exhaustion.


	19. Chapter 19

You’re sitting at your console when when Lindsay and Mogar arrive the following afternoon. Geoff goes to lay down, having spent the entire morning helping you go through the data from AH Labs. He tries to convince you to do the same, but you wave him off. Knowing what you’re going through, he doesn’t fight you.

Lindsay stays in the kitchen to unpack the lunches she brought while Mogar takes a seat next to you. He’s quiet at first, and you figure he’s waiting for you to say something. But you don’t. You’re more than happy to sit in silence. Eventually he clears his throat. “Hey,” he says by way of greeting.

“Hey.” You’re so focused on what you’re reading you don’t even look his way.

He’s quiet again as the air fills with tension. “Look, I know you’re still pissed at me about yesterday,” he tells you. “But I’m just trying to help.”

He really doesn’t need to explain himself. You know he is just looking out for you and if you were in his shoes, your reaction would be the same. “I’m not mad at you,” you assure him.

“Really? Because you seem pretty fucking mad at me.”

You sigh and pinch the bridge of your nose, trying to ward off a headache that’s been threatening to take over since you woke up. “I was pissed, but only because you were right,” you admit, turning in your chair to face him. “I was letting whatever was going on on the side with me and the Mad King cloud my judgement. You don’t have to worry about me anymore. Whatever was happening physically between us is over. For good. I just want to find out what he’s planning, put a stop to it and put him away.”

Mogar stares at you in silence, studying your expression.

You don’t want to meet his gaze anymore so you turn your look back on the screen. Lindsay has managed to pull together a list of all the other labs the research lab ships to and it’s only about three or four. You’re trying to find if anything wasn’t accounted for after the days of the robot attacks, but there are so many projects and items stored at the labs that it’s taking a long time.

“He really meant something to you, didn’t he?”

You shoot him a sideways glance, but don’t respond.

“Mantis, I can’t even begin to try to figure out this weird, twisted relationship you have with this guy,” Mogar says. “Clearly you mean something to him--”

“I don’t,” you cut him off. “He was just trying to distract me. It’s all just part of the game he’s playing to see how many ways he can break me. I fell for it, and now it’s over. It won’t happen again. Can we just move on?” You try to keep the hurt out of your voice, but you don't think you succeed. 

“If you want to talk about it…”

“I really don’t.”

Mogar puts his hands up and turns to his side of the console. “Okay then. What are you working on?”

“I think I’m close to figuring out what’s missing,” you tell him. “Come look at this…” You scoot your chair over so Mogar can see the screen a little more. “Look at the inventory item numbers for AH Labs. They go from 1000 to 1003.”

Mogar squints at the screen where you’re pointing. “So? Could it be a typo?”

“That’s what I thought,” you explain to him. “But look, it happens again down here. 4023 to 4029.”

“So we need to find out what those things are that are missing,” Mogar says.

You nod as Lindsay comes in carrying three sandwiches wrapped in white paper. She tosses one to you, which you easily catch. “And if any of the other labs are missing parts.”

“What’s going on?” Lindsay asks.

“Mantis found some missing item numbers,” Mogar tells her as she tosses his sandwich to him as well. “We should check the inventory numbers against City Hall’s lab to see if we can find out what they were.”

“Cool, but I think I should tell Mantis what I found out last night,” she says.

You stop mid bite of your sandwich, looking at her. “What?” you ask, immediately suspicious.

“Well,” Lindsay says dragging another chair over so she can sit with you and Mogar. “I was finishing up the antidote on the Mad King’s blood and I noticed something interesting.”

“Okay…” you say, nervous and on guard.

“Well, you know his power levels? The ones that measure ability strength?” You nod with understanding. “When I compared them to yours, I realized that yours are about twice the amount of his.”

She waits for your reaction, but all you do is frown. “I don’t know what that means,” you admit. “Or what that has to do with anything.”

“It means that you were twice as powerful as him,” Mogar tells you.

“Were?”

Lindsay nods. “That sample I tested was from the first batch of blood you gave me. The one from your jacket.”

“Okay, so I’m more powerful than him. He told me I was the most powerful Mask he’s ever met,” you say. “What happened when you tested the second sample? The one from the cell.”

“You guys were equal,” Lindsay says. “Well, are equal. That’s why your powers don’t work on him. And why his still don’t work on yours. He probably thought upping his level would make it work. Instead it just made your powers cancel each other’s out.”

"Great, so I thought I was stunning him but I just made him more powerful," you say in disgust. Your day just keeps getting better and better. "So…wait...” You put your sandwich on the table. “What does that mean about me?”

Lindsay and Mogar share a glance as they fidget slightly in their seats. “It means that both of your levels are the highest recorded in the current Mask database,” Lindsay explains. “Next to Geoff of course. But he’s had years of experience and practice. His level is as high as it’s going to go.”

“How would he even have gotten a sample big enough to test?” you ask. “He’s barely been able to make me bleed.”

“The crown,” Mogar reminds you. “Remember, you cut your hand on it? Did you wash your blood off?”

You didn’t. You never really thought to. You hand delivered him your DNA sample and you didn’t even know what you were doing. You slump back in your chair, trying to process the information. Geoff always told you you were powerful, but actually finding physical proof is a different matter altogether. You rub your forehead. “I don’t know what you want me to do with this information.”

Lindsay shrugs. “What you do with it is up to you,” she says. “I just thought you should know.”

You nod and turn back to the screen. You can’t think about your power level right now. That has to be his secondary focus. You have to assume that whatever he’s stealing from these labs is his primary goal. You have to figure out what he’s up to. Then you’ll worry about the other stuff.

You know Lindsay and Mogar are sharing silent looks but you try to ignore them. “Mogar, you want to take the second list and Lindsay you take the third? Try to find inconsistent or missing numbers.” They remain silent at first, and you know they are watching you closely. You turn to glance at them. “Please. I need to focus on this right now.”

“Okay,” Mogar says, giving you a supportive pat on the back. He turns to his screen and Lindsay slides over to hers.

The three of you work in silence, searching for missing numbers and cross referencing those with the shipping manifests from the lab in City Hall. Each time you guys find something, you add the information into one document, which you all share.

An hour or so passes before Lindsay clears her throat. “Do you want to talk about what happened last night?” she asks tentatively.

You bite back a sigh. “Did Geoff tell you something happened?” you ask.

“Of course he did,” Mogar answers.

You need to start keeping your mouth shut. Maybe keeping things to yourself every now and then is healthy. “I was on patrol and he showed up,” you tell them. “We did our usual banter, he jumped off the roof, I saved him and told him I was done with whatever it is he thinks we’re doing. He tried to kiss me, I rejected him. End of story.”

“He jumped off the fucking roof?!” Mogar exclaims.

“Yup,” you say. “He told me one day I would have to make the tough choice he made and to prove his fucking point, he jumped.”

“Wait,” Lindsay says, turning to face you. “How did you save him? Did you use your shield? Your powers don’t work on him.”

This is the part you wanted to avoid talking about. Especially now in light of the recent information Lindsay just gave you. “I sort of…flew.”

Your answer is met with silence, and it goes on for so long that you turn around to face them. Both your friends staring at you with wide eyes and open mouths.

“Flew?”

“You fucking flew?!”

“Guys please,” you say. “I couldn’t control it and he was fucking heavy. I hit a bunch of buildings and I felt fucking sick from trying to focus. It was really more like falling carefully.”

“Mantis--”

“Don’t!” you snap. “I know it’s big. I know it’s a huge jump from hovering. I know it’s yet another active power that I am going to have to learn to control and that’s going to keep growing and getting stronger.  I keep being told to focus on myself, but that’s not a luxury I can afford right now. All I want to do right now is figure out the Mad King’s plan and put a stop to it.”

“You keep saying that,” Mogar says. “We know that’s what you want to do. But you can afford to think about yourself, especially in this instance. You can fly. Do you know how much more good you can do? You don’t even need the shield anymore.”

“Yes I do,” you tell him. “I almost killed myself flying to save that giant bag of dicks. Until I know just how far I can push myself, I will use the shield.”

You try to get back to your list, but the words just look jumbled and you can’t focus. Lindsay and Mogar are still watching you so you push yourself back from the console.

“You know what, I’m going to go take a break,” you say. “Call me if you find anything.”

You march off to your room and slam the door, not caring if the noise wakes Geoff. The headache you were trying to avoid is almost a full on migraine and you groan in pain. Your head is pounding. You need aspirin. You open your nightstand drawer, trying to find the bottle you think you stored there. As you move things around, your hands close around the Mad King’s letter.

You had completely forgotten about it.

You stand there for a moment, before you take the piece of paper gently between your fingers and sink onto the floor next to your bed.

Before you know what you’re doing, you unfold the paper and begin to read:

_Mantis,_

_I know you’re angry at me right now. Probably more than just angry. You’ve probably convinced yourself that you hate me. It’s okay. It’s not like I’ve done anything to deserve otherwise. I know I shouldn’t push you this way. You’re a good person who does good things. Me? I do alright. But I do it because you’re strong and I want you to be the best you can be._

_My intrigue with you is more than just power related. The way you fight so passionately for what you believe is good is just beautiful. You are beautiful. I challenge you, because you make me challenge myself and everything I thought I knew._

_Tonight, when we were laying in bed together with my arms around you, you had this look on your face. You probably didn’t realize it, or even notice. But you were smiling. It was small, and it was soft. But you looked me in the eye and gave me a smile that just took my breath away. I had almost convinced myself that we were just two people falling for each other. Silly, huh?_

_I’m not going to spout off excuses for who I am or what I’ve done. I’ve come to terms with the person I’ve turned into and I’m sorry that isn’t the person you want. Because I desperately want to be that person. But it doesn’t matter what I want. I doesn’t matter that I want you to love me as much as I love you._

_What I want doesn’t take priority over what you want, or what you need. If you want us to keep doing this back and forth, I’m all for it. I will match you every step of the way. If you want us to be more, it would be my honor to take this further. But if you want us to be done, we can be done._

_The choice is yours._

_~ Ryan_

You sit stunned. You re-read his letter several more times and stare at his signature. He didn’t sign it Mad King. He signed it ‘Ryan’. This is the second time today you can’t wrap your head around what’s happening. You see a few wet spots appear on the page and you realize that you’re crying. You told yourself you wouldn’t cry over him again, and yet you are. But are you crying because of him? Or because of what his words mean to you?

There’s a sharp knock on your door and you hastily wipe your tears away, folding the letter again. “Come in,” you manage to choke out.

Lindsay’s terrified look immediately puts you on red alert. “Mantis?”

“What’s wrong?”  you ask, scrambling to your feet and dropping the letter in the process.

“We figured out what’s missing,” she says. “And what is goes to.”

You follow her into the living room, where Mogar is leaning back in his chair, his hand pressed to his mouth. He’s staring at the screen as if he’s still processing whatever news they learned.

“What’s going on?” you demand.

“The parts that are missing don’t really do anything on their own,” Lindsay says, leaning on the console so she can reach the keyboard. She brings up the schematics of each of the part the Mad King stole. “But when they are put together…”

She hits a button and suddenly the parts fly onto the center screen, assembling themselves into one large object.

“He has a bomb, Mantis,” Lindsay says, her and Mogar glancing back to stare at you. “And we think his plan is to detonate it.”


	20. Chapter 20

“This doesn’t make sense!” you say, running your hands through your hair as you pace back and forth. “Why? Why would he want to use a bomb? On what? How powerful is that thing?”

“It’s huge,” Mogar say motioning to the screen. “I don’t even want to know why the government has it or where they got it from.”

“They don’t have it anymore,” Lindsay reminds him. “The Mad King does.”

“What’s this thing’s radius?” you ask them.

“Given the right amount of time to charge and the right vantage point, it can wipe out most of the city,” Lindsay says.

“How long would it take to charge?” you ask.

“To max power? A full twenty-four hours,” Lindsay says.

“But if he’s had all the parts, why hasn’t he used it yet?” you ask. “Those robot attacks and the thefts were almost two weeks ago.”

“Because he _didn’t_ have all the parts,” Mogar tells you. He leans forward and presses a few keys on the console. “He was missing the detonator. Where did you fight him last night?”

“About a block or so from Central Park,” you tell them, your heart sinking.

“Yeah, there’s another small lab near there,” Mogar tells you. The apologetic look he casts your way forces you to avert your gaze from his. You don’t want them to feel sorry for you. There’s no reason for them to. “They got the detonator two days ago. He probably was picking it up last night when he intercepted you.”

“I think we should call Vav and X-Ray in,” Lindsay tells you. “Between the four of you, you should be able to search all the high points in town. Once it’s charging he can’t move it. So it’s probably where it’s going to go off right now.”

You march forward and nudge Lindsay to the side so you can take over the console.

“What are you doing?” Mogar asks.

You don’t answer him. Instead you start dialing the Mad King.

“You’re calling him?!” Mogar exclaims. “What are you going to do? Politely ask him to hand over the bomb.”

“Shut up,” you snap.

When the Mad King’s face comes up on your screen, he doesn’t look surprised, just annoyed. “Mantis,” he says in a sharp voice. “To what do I owe--”

“Stop talking,” you snap. “We know you have the bomb. Where is it?”

“You catch on quickly,” the Mad King says, leaning smugly back in his chair.

“I don’t have time for your games!” you shout, banging your fist on the console. “Tell me where the fucking bomb is!”

“Figure it out yourself!” the Mad King snaps back in a tone you’ve never heard him use before. His voice his booming and he’s shaking with rage. “And you better do it fast, because you only have about, oh, three hours until it’s fully charged!”

“You motherfucker!” Mogar explodes, pushing you to the side so he can stand in front of the screen. “You used Mantis, you used all of us just so you can fucking blow up the city!”

“You got me,” the Mad King says sardonically, holding his hands up. “You have me all figured out. I’m the bad guy, you’re the good guys.” He leans forward and his eyes are alight with rage. “So come fucking get me.”

The screen goes black but you’re already on your way to get changed. “Lindsay, call Jack! He needs to order an immediate evacuation of the city!”

You pass Geoff, who looks tired and confused. The Mad King’s voice must have been loud enough to wake him up. “What’s going on?”

“Fill him in,” you order before closing the door to your room behind you.

You change your clothes faster than you ever have before. As you’re pulling on your jacket, your eyes fall on the letter on the floor. You bend down to pick it up, unsure of what to do. He wrote the letter for a reason. It was done with a lot of thought and care. Your brain can’t process the differences between this Mad King and the one you just spoke to. You fold the letter several more times before slipping it into your boot.

When you get back into the living room, Lindsay is sitting at the console talking to X-Ray and Vav while Mogar and Geoff get their gear on.

“Geoff, what are you doing?” you ask.

“You guys are going to need my help,” he says. “If there’s a bomb in the city, I’m not going to stay behind. We have less than three hours to find it and figure out how to disarm it.”

“I’m working on that, along with a better idea of where it could be,” Lindsay tells you. “Vav is going to start a sweep of the high buildings in the city. Turn your coms on frequency ten and we all should hear each other. You guys need to get going.”

You all do as she says. “Watch over us,” you say, pulling the hood of your jacket up and slipping your shield onto your arm.

She gives you a soft smile. “Always.”

Mogar marches over and takes his wife’s face between his hands, placing several kisses on her cheeks before placing a large one on her lips. Again you feel that stab of longing in your chest and you turn away. “You guys ready?”

“Hell fucking yeah!” Mogar exclaims.

“I’ll fly ahead,” you tell them as you leave the house. “Hopefully I can cover some of the buildings for Vav on this side of the city.”

“Meet you there,” Geoff says. “Be careful.”

You throw your shield in front of you and hop on, speeding off towards the city. “Vav, what’s your twenty?” You can hear alarms in the distance and you fly over vehicle after vehicle coming from the direction you’re going. Lindsay must have gotten in contact with Jack. At least the civilians will be out of the way.

“I’m in the east village,” Vav pants. “There are so many tall buildings! It would be easier if we could narrow things down.”

“Working on it,” Lindsay says. “Jack issued the orders and everyone is either fleeing or going underground. Looks like Main Square is mostly deserted. I’m getting some weird heat signatures from there though.”

“Elaborate,” you say. “What kind of signatures?”

“Ummm, guys?” X-Ray’s voice sounds filled with worry. Well, as worried as X-Ray can sound. “I don’t want to be the one to tell you we have a problem. But we have a problem.”

“What’s wrong?” Geoff asks.

Just then you close in on Main Square and your heart drops. “It’s a giant fucking robot!” you exclaim, quickly maneuvering out of the way as one of its arms shoots towards you. You bend and hold onto your shield, trying to steady yourself as you start to circle the mechanical being. You see X-Ray already there, trying to fire his laser vision at it. The rays just bounce off it’s thick shell however, doing barely any damage.

“Alright, well I got nothing,” X-Ray says, dodging another one of the robots arms.

You send a few cars towards it, trying to make some kind of dent so X-Ray can aim inside the damn thing. It catches the cars easily and sends them flying back at you. You shoot down towards it, hopping off your shield at the last minute so it misses hitting you. The large metal arm gets stuck in the ground and you run up it, jumping onto the top of the robot.

“Mantis, what the fuck are you doing up there?!” X-Ray exclaims, still firing wildly. “If I hit you, you owe me KFC.” One of his beams shoots past your face and you smell burning rubber as it skims your mask.

You grip the top of the robot’s circular “head” and pull as hard as you can, using your powers to help. One of the metal claws comes up to grab you by the jacket and you go flying.

It’s pure instinct. One second you’re flying the the air, and next _you’re flying through the fucking air_. You turn your body around so you’re soaring towards the robot instead. Your shield flies up and you catch it, holding onto it tightly and hiding your body behind it. The sound the shield makes when it hits the robot reminds you of nails on a chalkboard and you grit your teeth as you knock the robot over, before spiraling through the air and landing heavily on a nearby bus. You lose your shield in the process.

“Vav? Where are you? I need you!” Mogar says as he and Geoff come to a screeching halt just a street away. They get out of the car, but are sent into hiding when more robot arms flail past them.

“Anything for my boi!” Vav answers. He’s standing next to Mogar within an instant. The robot is already getting to its feet as X-Ray runs to check on you. “What do you think? The Kazooie?”

Mogar nods and turns into a bear, shrinking down so he’s small enough to cling to Vav’s back. Vav makes sure he’s secure before running up the nearest building. Geoff strolls over to the robot and seizes one of the arms. He pulls it as hard as he can and it comes ripping out of the socket. It’s enough to make the robot stumble, it’s round body rolling slightly as it tries to right itself. Geoff swings the metal arm around, hitting it a few times to keep it in one spot.

There’s suddenly a loud roar and you and X-Ray look up in time to see nine-foot Mogar sailing downwards through the air, his teeth and claws bared. He lands on the robot, instantly forcing it into the ground and tearing a large hole in it.

The guys cheer as X-Ray helps you off the bus.

“Vav, back on bomb duty,” you order, searching the ground for your shield. You find it a few feet away, well, some of it. Your shield is shattered. “Shit!” You bend down and pick up the largest piece. It’s the armband and it still fits. It won’t block much, but the sharp edges will definitely do damage.

The robot starts to rattle and you order the guys back, expecting an explosion.

It does explode, but not into a fireball. Instead it explodes into thousands of smaller robots, all charging towards you.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me!!!” Geoff yells.

X-Ray starts firing at them, taking out a few at a time. Mogar is already tearing them apart as Geoff kicks and punches his way through. You throw up a barrier around Geoff as several try to gang up on him. Once he realizes what's going on, he takes them out and shoots you a thankful nod.

“Mantis, I’ve checked all the buildings and I still haven’t found the bomb!” Vav exclaims. A line of robots disappears as he runs through them.

Your mind tries to come up with a solution as you help the guys take out some of the mini robots. You know the Mad King, for the most part you know how he thinks. If Vav checked all the buildings, there has to be something he missed. You stop dead as the answer comes to you:

_The tower._

Your flying isn’t reliable and your shield is broken. You’ll never make it in time on your own. “Mogar! I need a ride!” you tell him, running towards the bear. “Vav, help Geoff and X-Ray with the robots. I know where the bomb is!” You run towards Mogar and fly up onto his back. “Haywood International Headquarters!”

With a roar, Mogar takes off down the street, crushing robots and cars as he goes.

“Mantis, when you get to the bomb there should be a failsafe code you can enter,” Lindsay tells you as you rush towards the tower. “It’s 04012003.”

“04012003…04012003…” you repeat, trying to remember. “Lindsay, if I lose you when I get there, if it gets closer to detonation and you don’t hear from me, you need to make sure the guys get out.”

“You can do this,” Lindsay says immediately. “I know you can.”

“And if I can’t, I don’t want the guys dying because I failed,” you tell her sharply. “Promise me, Linds.”

She’s silent for a moment before agreeing in a soft voice. “I promise.”

Mogar skids to a halt outside of Haywood International and you slide off his back. You don’t have time to take the elevator or the stairs to the secret top floor. You look up at the building, trying to figure out if you have enough strength to fly up. Only one way to find out.

“Mogar,” you say, looking at your friend. He turns his head on you, cocking it to the side with curiosity. “Fastball special?”

Mogar bares his teeth in a wide grin and gets onto his hind legs, scooping you up in his giant claw. You position your feet carefully so you have a strong stance. You gently stroke his head, causing him to look at you with confusion. “You need to promise me too. If something happens, get them out of here,” you say, nodding back towards the direction of your friends. “Got it?”

He gives a little whine, but nods, nuzzling your cheek slightly. “Good bear. Now throw me!”

And does he fucking throw you. You focus all of your power on yourself and the higher you go, the faster you go. You’re flying up the side of the building at an alarming rate, but it’s 21 stories and you still have ways to go. You concentrate harder than you’ve ever concentrated in your life and then you’re there. You land on the roof and tear it open, landing so hard in the middle of the room that the glass windows shatter, sending shards everywhere. Your com immediately starts making a buzzing noise and you yank it out of your ear.

It’s right there, right against the wall. The bomb, with it’s stereotypical clock counting down. It reads fourty-five minutes. Just as you take a step towards it, you catch movement out of the corner of your eye and you block a punch from the Mad King.

“Stop!” you snap, blocking more blows. “I don’t want to fight you.”

“How fucking convenient!” Ryan snaps. He dodges a few of your counter attacks. “This is what you came for isn’t it? You told me the next time we saw each other, you were coming to stop me. Well, do it. Stop me!”

You block several punches aimed at your ribs and you sink your fist into his cheek. The look he gives you is murderous and he spits blood on the ground as he aim a few high kicks your way.

“I don’t…have time…for this!” you snap, sidestepping his attacks. You swing your shield arm at him. He jumps back to dodge it, but not before the sharp edges cut through his shirt, causing a red stain to slowly appear. It doesn’t even faze him. He still comes at you with more punches. You try to move towards the bomb but he’s not letting up.

“Wouldn’t it be a shame if after all of this,” the Mad King says between jabs and uppercuts. “You fail because you can’t bring yourself to finish the job.”

“If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead by now!" you tell him. "I don’t want to kill you! I _can’t_ kill you!”

“And that’s why I’ll win.”

You can’t keep doing this. You’re running out of time. 

You focus on the ground below him, tearing up the hardwood floor in one giant chunk so he’s suddenly floating. You pull it towards you and then duck, sending Ryan flying into a wall behind you. You waste no time and dive for the bomb. Quickly you start typing in the code. He tackles you before you can hit enter, and you block the blows he aims at your face. You manage to seize his wrists and wriggle your legs out from under him. You put your feet on his chest and kick him across the room.

You reach over the bomb and hit enter, stopping the timer at 30 seconds.

You let out a sigh of relief. But it doesn’t last long because then Ryan’s advancing on you again. “Will you give it a rest?!” you exclaim, trying to stand. He reaches down and grabs you by the jacket, hauling you to your feet. His hand goes around your neck and he pulls his fist back. 

You grab his wrist, staring him down. 

He hesitates. He so angry, so furious with you. You know what the letter says, but does he mean it? You don't break eye contact. “Do it! You talk about me not following through? Go ahead and hit me!” 

But the punch doesn’t come. His fist is shaking, and the hand gripping your neck is trembling violently.

He can’t do it. You see anger and pain in his gaze, but you don’t see hate. You never saw hate.

Without a word he lets you go. You stumble away, coughing and dropping to the ground. He also drops to the ground next to you, bruised, bloody and equally exhausted. You both remain silent, laying on your sides staring at each other.

“Why?” you manage to croak.

“You know why.”

You take a shaky breath before responding. “Me,” you say. “You did all of this to challenge me? The robots, the bank robberies, the kidnapping, the bomb…the only thing they have in common is you and me.”

He doesn’t say anything. You both are silent for some time as you try to catch your breath. Your body is aching and wracked with the shakes. You push yourself into a sitting position before dragging your bruised and beaten body over to the wall, slumping against it.

He follows your lead, but moves to the opposite end of the room. “Initially that wasn’t the plan,” he says, wincing as he forces his body into a sitting position. “The original goal was to just fuck this city up. Give you Masks the runaround while I sat back and laughed.”

“You did all this just for the hell of it?” you ask. “Just to instill chaos.”

“I’m so used to knowing how people are going to react around me.” he says. “What they are going to say, what their intentions are. I was so tired of it. I wanted a change. I wanted to be surprised. And then I met you…you I did not anticipate. So, so full of surprises.”

You reach into your boot and pull out the letter. When he sees it, his eyes grow wide and his gaze meets yours wearily. “You said you didn’t get it,” he reminds you.

“I lied.”

“Did you read it?”

“Yes.”

He falls silent, his gaze drifting downward to stare at the broken up floor in front of him.

“Why didn’t you tell me all this yourself?” you ask. “In the limo…when we were actually having an honest conversation you could have told me then.”

“I’m not so good with the talking to women thing,” he says. “And besides, would you have believed me?”

It’s your turn to avoid his gaze.

“As for ‘honest conversation’, you lied to me,” he points out. “So it wasn’t completely honest, was it?”

“I knew what you were doing didn’t make any sense,” you say, slipping the letter back into your boot. "I kept feeling like I was missing something. Missing some big piece of the puzzle. And when I read your letter, I realized that I was.”

“I wasn’t expecting your power level,” Ryan admits. “I knew you were powerful, but damn.”

You rubs your temples. “I can’t even think about that right now,” you say. “One major life-changing moment at a time.”

You look around and realize what a complete mess you’ve made. The room no longer resembles a room. All the windows gone, and so is most of the ceiling, except the portion over the hallway and elevator. You and Ryan sit facing each other on opposite ends of the room, bruised, bloody and completely out of breath. The defused bomb is sitting next to him, the numbers still flashing at thirty seconds.

“So, what happens now?” Ryan asks.

You shrug, an effort that makes your body scream in pain. “I have no idea,” you admit.

“For what it’s worth, I do love you,” Ryan admits. Your stomach clenches and you have that feeling of longing again. He waits a beat. “Do you love me?”

“I don’t know,” you say truthfully. “But it’s only because I guess I don’t really know what love feels like. Also I just spent the last few weeks convinced you were absolutely the evilest scumbag on the planet. I don't know the real you.”

“That’s fair enough, I suppose,” Ryan says with a slight grin.

“I know things aren’t always black and white,” you tell him. “I tell myself they are to make what I’m doing easier and it’s worked so far. But with you it’s this whole, grey…” You wave your hand, trying to find the right word. “...Although, I’m pretty sure love doesn’t involve trying to murder each other.”

Ryan chuckles. “I’m the ‘Mad’ King, remember?” he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Maybe ours does.” You let out a snort of laughter and shake your head. “I still stand by what I said in the letter. Whatever happens with us, the choice is yours.”

“You thought I chose to keep doing this,” you realize. “That’s why in the park, you didn’t believe me. Why you haven’t really believed me this whole time. Why you kept pushing and pushing. You thought I was just going along, and so were you.”

Ryan nods. “Somewhat,” he says. “I figured you’d admit it in your own time. I am really sorry that that man died. That wasn’t my intention.”

“I know.”

“Look, we obviously have some sick twisted need to be in each other’s lives,” Ryan points out. “We keep being drawn to each other. You can’t deny that.”

No, no you can’t and you’re not going to. Not anymore at least. You've grown accustomed to his presence in your life and you don't think you can go back to the way things were before. “Then, let’s stay in each other’s lives,” you suggest. When he raises his eyebrow at you, you continue. “Let’s make a truce. We keep doing, whatever this is. Except, I won’t kill you and you won’t kill me. Actually, no killing of any kind.”

"I thought you wanted to be done," Ryan says pointedly.

"Well when I thought you were just using me, yeah," you tell him. "But, if you're not. If you really...feel the way you do...I'm willing to explore it."

Ryan give another breathless chuckle. “So what? I keep doing random shit, you keep stopping me as long as we both want to?”

You scrunch your nose as you frown. “Well, it does sound incredibly tiring now that I’m thinking about it.”

Ryan grins. “I agree,” he says. “I’ll slow down a little.”

“Also no more fucking robots,” you tell him. “Or bombs!”

Ryan reaches over and opens the bomb’s panel under the display. There is nothing inside except for a bit of wiring. There wasn’t ever a bomb.

You flick your wrist and the panel door flies off and hits Ryan in the face. “You’re such an asshole.”

“Ow!” 

You can’t help but dissolve into giggles and soon he’s laughing along with you.

Ryan gets to his knees and crawls across the room to you. Even with his better healing factor you can still tell he’s in a lot of pain. He plops down next to you. “Truce?” he asks. He holds his hand out to you and you shake it.

“Truce.”

His hand slips from yours and you let out a sigh. "I'm sorry about your shield."

You look at the piece strapped to your arm and sigh. "It started off as something I could rely on, but now I just really like having it." You take the metal bit off and drop it next to you.

"I'll make you a new one."

It’s quiet for a moment before you reach up and carefully peel away the mask from your face. X-Ray's beam had singed the rubber worse than you originally thought and the mask is stuck to your skin. The area around your nose and eyes is raw and probably starting to bleed, but it feels so much better to have the burnt rubber smell gone. You sigh and let the cool breeze soothe the abused skin.

Ryan stills next to you and you realize this is the first time he’s seen you without your mask.

You turn to look at him. “No killing, no bombs, and give me a few days in between to rest,” you order.

He doesn’t answer. Instead he reaches out and places a hand on your cheek. His eyes are roaming over every inch of your face almost as if he’s trying to memorize it. “You’re even more beautiful than I thought,” he says softly.

You instantly blush and bat his hand away.

He slides his hand onto the back of your neck and pulls you forward into a tender kiss. You instantly moan and respond, your own hand coming up to grip his suit jacket tightly. When he draws back, he raises his eyebrow. “Sex is still going to be a thing, right? We can include that in the truce, can’t we?”

You pull away with a laugh. “I don’t think we could stop ourselves even if we wanted to,” you tell him. You take his hand, tangling your fingers with his. “A superhero and villain who don’t actually want to kill each other, but kind of like each other, and also have sex on the side. Who would have figured?”

Ryan shrugs. “Weirder things have happened,” he says. “Your friend can turn into a giant bear. Do you really want to question this?”

He has a point.

“We still have some things to discuss,” you remind him. “You have a lot of things to answer for. A lot of people have been hurt or caught in the crosshairs.”

Ryan winces. “I know,” he says. “Honestly, this got a little out of hand. I didn’t mean for it to go so far. But the more you pushed, the more I had to push back and see how far you would go.”

You shake your head almost lovingly at him and slump sideways, briefly resting your head on his shoulder. He leans his head to the side so he rests against you as well. You sit that way for a long time. Neither of you say anything, as there really is nothing left to say. Eventually you realize how late it is. You need to check on your friends. They would have made quick work of those robots by now, but they are probably worried sick about you.

Also you really want to get home. It’s been a really long day and you’re in desperate need of sleep. You give him another kiss before getting to your feet.

“So, my arch nemesis,” you say as you stretch your sore limbs and make your way to the edge of the building. “Until next time. Any idea of when that’ll be?”

Ryan grins and also gets to his feet. “How about Friday? Do a few bank robberies, then drinks?” He looks around at what used to be the top floor of his office building. “We’ll have to go to your place after though. Mine’s going to be under renovation.”

You chuckle and zip up your jacket. It’s cold when you fly. You need a thicker coat. “It’s your fault for making me think you had a bomb and were going to blow up the city,” you scold.

“How absolutely evil of me,” he says, walking towards you.

You give him a genuine smile. “Not absolutely.” You pull him forward by his tie and press your lips firmly against his. His hands drop to your waist and he responds eagerly. When you pull away he’s panting slightly and his eyes are filled with longing. But you’ve got places to be and he’s taken enough of your time today. “See you Friday…Ryan.”

You walk backwards out of his grasp and off the edge of the building, but you don’t fall. Flying is so easy for you now it makes you wonder what you ever were afraid of.

Ryan’s eyes are sparkling and his smile widens. “Looking forward to it.”

You give him a coy wink before turning your back on him and flying towards home.


End file.
